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Photography, Subjectivity, and Darkness

Last night I was lucky enough to be in attendance at an intimate and engaging discussion between art historian and photographer Teju Cole and Thelma Golden, director and chief curator of the Studio Museum. The talk was in part of celebration of Cole’s recently published photo essay book Blind Spot wherein Cole pairs photos he’s taken on his various travels over the past several years with prosaic-poem essays.  Cole is well known for his literary and visual work, having published the critically-acclaimed novel Open City, in 2012, as well as collection of essays entitled Known and Strange Things. Blind Spot is Cole’s first print work wherein the visual and the literary combine, mingle, and interact. The photos are the result of Cole’s singular vision, a kind of vernacular photography that often exhibits what might otherwise be considered banal or not representation-worthy; subjects like street corners, inanimate objects out of their intended context, landscapes tend to dominate the pieces. The text accompanying the photos is an amalgamation of memoir, fiction, and non-fiction. While the photos and text are supposed to work in tandem, there is also a explicit sense that the text followed the photos in every instance.  

During the talk Cole, in conversation with Golden, touched on three fairly broad topics (among many other topics), that I have been digesting and ruminating on for the past day. The first topic photography seems like an obvious one. Cole, beyond his literary work, practices the medium himself and frequently published a column on photography for the New York Times Magazine.  He is well-versed in theories of photography (Barthes, Sontag, Benjamin) and important photographers, both in art historical canon and in medium innovation. Cole approaches photography as both a challenge and as something that is essential. Photography is a tricky subject, one that is taken for granted. We often think of photography, and certainly in history it is regarded as an objective, “truth-telling” medium.  When photography was coming into relevance people were astonished by this medium of light and nature.  Avant garde practitioners of photography marveled at it’s ability to show what the human eye cannot typically perceive (commonly referred to as the optical unconscious) and thus revered the camera as a mechanical eye. However, as long as photography has been around so too has photo manipulation. Further more, a debate about whether the camera was truly an eye or if its operator functioned as the last word in guiding composition is one that still remains pertinent and unsettled. As modernist ideals about photography gave way to more disjointed, challenging discourse on the subject the objective nature of photography has transgressed into the subjective. 

Cole is explicit in his understanding of his photographic practice as deriving from his own experience. Describing his photography as influenced by street and vernacular photographers like Robert Frank, Cole takes pictures of subjects as he is walking the streets. It is not just about fancy however, Cole captures objects he finds interesting beyond its inanimacy. Cole brings in a kind of extreme and honest subjectivity that is typically frowned upon or otherwise avoided by contemporary photographers and artists alike.  Cole, during the discussion, expressed the notion that his experience as an black man in America, one that also has had the immigrant experience, he is unable to be the universal, “objective”, “centered” voice.  A crux of burden (at least in an art critical and canonical sense) for any artist that is not of white, male european descent is that your work is often associated with your identity and experiences based on various axises of oppression.  Cole flips that tiresome, boring notion by embracing his subjectivity, amplifying, and using it to express himself and his work in a powerful way.  By subverting the preconceived notion that subjectivity narrows expression and presentations, Cole opens up space for a new canon and a new way of thinking about art.  While it is a privilege to be able to be so forth-coming about your practice (versus up-and-coming, beginning artists who might have to bow to expectations and tradition in order to make it), it is also a testament to the radicalness of subjectivity.  To eschew rigid structures of objectivity = truth, humanity, overall experience, means freeing artists, critics, and laymen alike to approach art on multiple layers.  

Objectivity typically only offers one lane of looking and understanding, the truly objective camera would never be able to achieve the mastery of oblique angles and penetrating subjects that secured photography’s place as a visual art form and not just a method of documentary. Connecting photography to subjectivity then brings the idea of vision into play.  The title of Cole’s latest book Blind Spot refers to the medical phenomenon, a personal experience of Cole’s wherein he lost part of his vision for the span of a day, and figuratively of what is left out of immediate understanding due to enculturated, curated circumstances.  Cole brings three layers of subjective experience into the writing and photography Blind Spot.  The result is work that both rescinds and recedes to boundaries.  

Darkness as it relates to photography and subjectivity is a subject that deserves an entire post of its own, even a book. What was said a bout darkness by Cole and then reiterated by Golden is what I will end my ramble on. Cole began the discussion by speaking about a photo he had taken that surprised him, where a face whose featured he thought had been obscured in the negative by the mass of bright light illuminating the photo became wonderfully clear when he messed with the settings of the photo.  He realized, quite prosaically that, “Darkness is not empty, just full of information at rest”.  This revelation is one that not brings new understanding to the figurative meaning of darkness but transforms photograph from being a medium of light to one of shadows and information waiting to be revealed.  

You can purchase Blind Spot here and at other book retailers. 

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The Talis Tea Set 

Object Concept Statement:

In an environment where misinformation and cognitive dissonance dominate major forms of communication and discourse, where the internet and developments in mass telecommunications has splintered understanding, memory seems to be an important, underutilized resource.  The simultaneous material and abstract power of memory gives us a looking glass to the past and to our future.  My design encapsulates the idea that bringing an individual closer to memory—their own and a collective one—facilitates a connection to a wider community, spirituality, and the universe. The idea that introspection begins with considering who we are, because of where we have been, is wrapped up in the materials and experience of my Talis tea set.   The hope is that individuals, or groups, who use the tea set feel a sense of connection to themselves and something larger than them with every use.  With the Talis tea set a new experience is possible with each use due to a myriad of factors and determinants.  The tea set is the perfect canvas in which to infuse the concept of introspection and connection.  Tea itself is a ritualistic endeavor, with many cultures embracing tea as both a necessary substance and a way of life.  The many different varietals of tea, with different and distinct taste and olfactory experiences allow for the human memory to be unlocked and pondered over in a sensual way.  

The idea of individual memory and introspection came from my obsession after the 2016 election with the concept that the country seemed to be on the brink of a spiritual and moral crisis.  That people who elected a bigot and his cronies into office did so because somewhere along the way the values they were taught told them to pride themselves—their own fear and hatred—above the needs and benefit of people as a whole.  When I considered how empathy worked, I thought about how when I feel emphatic, I tend to compare my experiences with the situation at hand, and try to imagine what it would be like to be experiencing the same thing. 

That is where memory comes into play.  To be able to remember and contextualize one’s experiences: the good, the bad, the embarrassing, the loving, and the horrible, seems to be the most important aspect of empathy.  When we realize that we are in this thing called life, at once alone and as a part of something greater than ourselves, we start to see the idea of community and its needs above our own.  I want to establish that this came very much from a culmination of thoughtful grappling and struggling with hopelessness and optimism simultaneously.

But enough philosophical rambling, and onto my design. The Talis tea set is a 6 piece set, complete with a platter.  The overall appearance is supposed to invoke an immediate reaction of nostalgia and distance, that it belongs to a different time.  The copper finish of the exterior of the 6 pieces gives it a uniqueness as most contemporary tea sets are made from ceramic.  It also gives the tea set a direct lineage and homage to the Arts and Crafts movement of the late-nineteenth century.  Copper invokes a notion of craftsmanship and attention to material. The copper will also react visually to the warmth of the liquid.  The inside of the tea cups, creamer, and sugar bowl are lined with a durable and safe blue mother-of-pearl material, giving the pieces an iridescent and whimsical look.  The bottoms of the insides are lined with a mirror-like surface where the drinker can catch of glimpse of themselves, allowing for literal moment of self-reflection.  

Inscribed under each cup is a quote from a thinker associated with the Transcendentalist movement (with a complete bibliography for further reading included in the packaging for the tea set). The quote is raised so the user can run their finger over it while they drink and enjoy their tea, allowing for a tactile experience. If drinking individually, the user can pick up a cup either randomly or make a choice based on which quote best fits their mood or circumstances.  The form of the objects in the set is floral and straight-forward, looking similarly to other copper cups and dish ware: simple with a flat, wooden handle, with the exception of the tea cups which have a scalloped opening, a feature to match the the whimsy of the inside of the cup. 

With so much history and ritual infused into a tea set it is my hope that the Talis tea set captures the moment of memorial introspection that is so needed in our day and age.  Drinking tea is a highly nostalgic and comforting practice for me, with memories of my grandmother, traveling, moments of solitude and study,  all rolled into one experience.  By designing the tea set with materials that connect to another artistic and intellectual movement predicated on thoughtfulness, a connection to nature, and a return to simpler times, the Talis tea set is infused with the memories of a distant past and the imperatives of the present.  I cannot escape the historical and intellectual connections between the American and British Gilded Age—maligned with a disdain for laborers, both domestic and abroad in imperial holdings, and a nihilism that would lead to the first global conflict of the twentieth century—and our own times, with the ever increasing gap between the wealthy and the poor and cynicism for both the environment and lives of people we have deemed foreign and inhuman.   The intellectual and artistic endeavors that rose during the Industrial Revolution and the Gilded Age cried out for a spiritual and moral change in society. So too does this tea set, while providing a moment of individual introspection and quietude call out for a spiritual and moral renewal.  The hope that memory, collective and individual, can save humanity from the brink of destruction is a vague and optimistic one.  The power of memory, of honoring it and upholding it as a material of value and instruction could be the fuel of the necessary spiritual and moral reawakening of America.  Unlocking memory requires ritual, experiences, and introspection, which is where my Talis tea set would come into play. 

The key demographic of the Talis tea set is social awareness and justice-oriented millennials, “do-gooders” who do not have any preconceived notions of about the power of introspection. The value of thoughtfulness and empathy that the Talis tea set incorporates is one that must be taught early. Eighteen to thirty-year-olds have the right amount of abstract thought ability, coupled with the dissipation of adolescent solipsism that allows for an open-mind to new ideas and opportunities, which is why “millennials” are the perfect target for my design.  The materials used to make the tea set, as well as the craftsmanship needed to craft it to perfection means that it does not have a low ticket price. The Talis Tea Set will retails at $70.00 per set, with individual piece available to purchase beyond that.   The Talis tea set is manufactured in medium-sized editions, 500 in total, by family-owned metal workshops across America.  

Examples of Object-based inspiration: 

late-Arts and Crafts Era Copper Tea Set, 1920s, Germany

“Pocket Prayer” Medalions

Claire Fontaine, PLEASE GOD MAKE TOMORROW BETTER, 2016

Non-object based inspiration:

Transcendentalists My non-object related inspiration is the foundation and writing of the Transcendentalists of the nineteenth-century and subsequent thinkers associated with the movement.  While the Transcendentalist movement in the U.S. does not fall on the same timeline as the Arts and Crafts movement, it carries with it the same reaction to industrialized society and the alienation of man from nature as the latter.  The Transcendentalist movement was a cross-medium movement, developed not just in poetry and prose, but in philosophy, metaphysics, music, and art.  Predicated on the idea that society and institutions have corrupted man and his individuality, the Transcendentalists believed in the inherent goodness of man and nature.  

The beliefs of the Transcendentalists can be closely linked with that of the Romantics, but with an embrace of science and empiricism based on experiences in nature and self-sufficiency.  Transcendentalism is also viewed to be a marriage between German and English philosophies, incorporating the work of Immanuel Kant and Thomas Carlyle alike.  Some major thinkers of the Transcendentalist movement include Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Louisa May Alcott, and Walt Whitman.  Transcendentalism also had a close relationship with religion and metaphysics, looking towards forms of individual worship and Eastern religions.  This tie paved the way for Transcendentalism to inspire and fuel other American political and philosophical movements including abolitionist efforts and later the civil rights movement.  Even many contemporary hip-hop artists are inspired by Transcendentalism.

The Talis tea set is inspired by the Transcendentalist movement because of its incorporation of the belief in the inherent goodness of nature and man and a reaction to a society seemingly plagued by destructive morals and institutions.  As the writing and philosophy of the Transcendental movement transformed into a small “t” transcendental idea of an American tradition in overcoming the dehumanizing institutions and history that maligns our country, it seems another T/transcendental movement is needed today.  The three quotes that I am including in my design are all collected from the writing of Transcendentalist and Transcendentalist-inspired thinkers.

Possible Quotes for the tea cups in the Talis tea set: “Nature provides exceptions to every rule.” -Margaret Fuller, Woman in the Nineteenth Century (1845)

“Let your life be a counter friction to stop the machine.” Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience, 1849

“Bitch, be humble. Sit down, be humble.” - Kendrick Lamar, HUMBLE., 2017  

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Bruno Munari, Appunti per una esplorazione nel moiré, in «Pagina», No. 1, Milano, November 1962, p. 28-38

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Um I love this house so much was dropping my icecream on myself to take this pic

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Gustave Moreau, Detail from Salome at the Prison (c. 1873-76)

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Ancient Roman mosaic representing the labyrinth and Theseus slaying the Minotaur. Surrounding figures include Ariadne, a personification of the Labyrinth itself, and an allegorical figure representing Crete.

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“I just decided when someone says you can’t do something, do more of it.” - Faith Ringgold

Faith Ringgold’s Freedom Woman Now (Political Posters) from 1971. In honor of International Women’s Day. See more of Ringgold’s works at mo.ma/faithringgold

(Cut-and-pasted colored paper on board. The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Endowment for Prints. © 2017 Faith Ringgold/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York)

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St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Missouri, August 11, 1907

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Gaston Bachelard, (1934), Epistemologia, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 1975

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original url http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Battlefield/1918/

last modified 2001-01-25 21:10:28

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“Don’t be afraid of the clocks, they are our time, time has been so generous to us. We imprinted time with the sweet taste of victory. We conquered fate by meeting at a certain time in a certain space. We are a product of the time, therefore we give back credit where it is it due: time. // We are synchronized now and forever. // I love you.” Felix Gonzalez-Torres is one of my favorite artists of all time, and the brilliance of his work lies precisely in its ineffability, the way it elides description at the same time it calls irresistibly for language. If Minimalism was about turning our attention away from the object and towards the world, then Gonzalez-Torres must be one if its truest exponents, as gay and Cuban as he was. With material simplicity and an aesthetic of austere warmth, Gonzalez-Torres always forces you to grapple with what is not there—perhaps a homeland left, or health and loved ones lost. It’s hard not to think about his early death from AIDS when discussing his work, but it’s also important not to let it be the unitary lens through which we view it. Many of his best-known projects were conceived to honor his partner Ross as he was dying. Here, two synchronized clocks hang together high up on a wall; they seem almost to float in the barren, blinding void of white, with only each other and their unified timekeeping to stay grounded. And yet, we know that inevitably the hands of the clocks will fall out of step, the reality they constitute together slipping into meaninglessness. Only in Gonzalez-Torres’ subtly ingenious hands can such humble means achieve such devastating ends.

Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Untitled (Perfect Lovers), 1987-90

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For this week’s post I thought I would turn my focus to Albuquerque and the collection at the Albuquerque Museum of Art. I’ve been thinking a lot about how often artists are attracted (enchanted) by the landscape, the people, the inherent spirituality. We learn about these artists/intellectuals and their contributions to New Mexican culture-O’Keefe, Lujan-Dodge, Stieglitz, Martin-but there’s always this one uncomfortable hitch: these artists are usually never from here. Of course the ability to represent and love New Mexico doesn’t not have to come from a five-generation native, however the indigenous New Mexican artist is typically sequestered to either hyper-regionalized recognition or fetishitic, almost anthropological shows. The rest of this post will be focused on Raymond Jonson, a lesser known, New Mexican transplant artist whose impact is inextricable from modern art in the state.  

Raymond Jonson’s abstraction can be described as both scientific and transcendent. Scientific in its empiricism and translation of the world into geometric shapes, colors, and forms. Transcendent as both a participant of the late 19th cent/early 20th century cross-medium American movement and in its spiritual, mystical character.  One can find both beakers and angels in a Jonson canvas. His works are emblematic of the Southwestern landscape that he occupied in the later part of his life and can be situated firmly in a tradition of eclectic and sometimes appropriative Southwestern style. 

The work pictured is part of Jonson’s Time Cycle Series painted between 1937. “Noon” is the subject of this canvas which is obviated by the glowing, white-yellow sun that sits in the center of the work. Noon as the transition, as the middle of the day is captured by Jonson. As circles in varying shades of yellow radiate out from the sun-center, rounded triangles of orange create an almost echoed effect. Purple is used a complementary color that traps the center within the canvas and acts as solid, tree-like forms.  These purples tubes are repeated in the distance against a dusky blue background which is similar to the solid blue character of a clear New Mexican sky. As in most Jonson abstract paintings, a sense of balance and soul is found in the color and weight of the geometric shapes. The sun-center-eye acts as a focal point and a seer. 

Similar work can be found in the oeuvre of other important New Mexico-transplant abstractionists like Agnes Pelton and Agnes Martin. The irresistible power and attraction of the alien-like landscape of the Southwest inspired and informed an important segment of American modernists artists. 

Some of Jonson’s work is currently on view alongside that of Irene Rice Pereira and Wassily Kandinsky at the Leila Heller Gallery. The show’s focus on “non-objective” paintings draws forth questions of the spiritual nature of pure abstraction. 

More scholarship on Jonson can be found through the University of New Mexico Museum, where he taught for 20 years. 

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Schedule of posts starting in March!

MUSE-ings Mondays: as often as I am prone to rantings. general thoughts and rambles about life as a yung lady just trying to work in research and curation at got dang art museum one day

WHY Wednesdays: 1 wed a month on the general WHY of a piece, artist, or movements. Hopefully this will be accessible background and info for people who may not know a lot about art hist but wanna know more

Crit/Research Fri/Sat: every other either Friday or Saturday (HOPEFULLY) i will share (bad) art crit or research that i have either hobbled together really quickly for a post OR from work i have already done (mostly from school)

and of course daily reblogging of amazing stuff i find from around tumblr (i follow  A LOT of brutalist architecture and design blogs so be forewarned LOL) 

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Adrian Piper, Everything #21 (2010-13)

Four blackboards, each covered with single handwritten sentence repeated 25 times in white chalk handwritten cursive text. Dimensions variable. #10001. Photo credit: Colin Fraser Wishart. Collection of the Adrian Piper Research Archive Foundation Berlin. © APRA Foundation Berlin.

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watch me become a Cameron scholar lol

Julia Margaret Cameron, two versions of ‘Too late! Too late!’, 1868