Guggenheim Fellowships in Photography, 2008

Builder Levy, Bushwick, Brooklyn 1987

After yesterday's Thanksgivingness today I have been on a bit of a web photography research bender. Among the millions of places that prove useful to look at once a year would be the winners of the Guggenheim Fellowships in Photography. I found the original article from Artnet. The finalists are listed on the Guggenheim Foundation's new fellows listing page.

Although this is kind of old news, maybe like me you missed it. The selection was announced in April.
The 2008 Fellows in Photography are:

Michael P. Berman
Elijah Gowin
Builder Levy
Fredrik Marsh
Greg Miller
Ardine Nelson
David J. Taylor

I also appreciate how this list of photographers can be looked at as an anti-Chelsea and anti-internet popularity selection of artists. Most of these photographers have never shown in New York. I wonder what their projects will look like now that they have a nice cash infusion? who is your favorite?

John Berger's groundbreaking TV documentary WAYS OF SEEING (first episode)

Watch along with me...

I found these great BBC documentaries by John Berger via Brian Ulrich's blog - NOTIFBUTWHEN.

WAYS OF SEEING (first episode) 1/4

WAYS OF SEEING (first episode) 2/4

WAYS OF SEEING (first episode) 3/4

WAYS OF SEEING (first episode) 4/4

One of Berger's points that i find particularly interesting (at least right now) is how images get modified by what's around them - weather its music, noise or other images. This gets me thinking about comparing the art fair experience with the museum experience. I feel as though to some extent it is an argument for a curated art experience but at the same time I feel the Art fair uncurated experience can have a valid experience of a chaos curated landscape of the art.

its amazing how at an art fair you not only loose your experience of order between the images but you loose your direction and bearings very often. What effect does this have on our art experience? And what does it have when you introduce an untrained eye to this experience as their first form of viewing an artwork rather then a contemplative curated experience in a cold Chelsea Gallery or large important museum? What does John Berger think of the Art Fair experience of viewing art?

And finally where has the smart TV gone? This documentary was made in the early 1970s and it seems just as fresh today. Could a program like this ever be aired in America? Its funny to think about a show like this with ads around the segments.if there were would you look at the ads differently?

Ryan Trecartin vs Lucas Cruikshank aka Fred Figglehorn

Last year one of the most memorable shows was Ryan Trecartin's "I-BE AREA" solo show at Elizabeth Dee Gallery. One of my professors made it a required assignment to see that show and watch the entire 1 hour 48 minute video. I don't think many students in the class would have noticed the show or given the video much of their time with out the professor's encouragement. I have to say I am glad to have experienced it in the gallery and it obviously had some affect on me because I am still contemplating the videos over a year later.

Trecartin deploys an onslaught high paced editing, colorful "public access" style effects, mashed up story-lines and a slew of references to convey an experience that sticks with you. I remember leaving the gallery feeling really strange and a bit freaked. Later that term I was able to sneak into his talk at the New Museum and got a slightly clearer understanding of some of those references. Particularly interesting was the discussion of identities with in the works and how people have several identities, online, real, imagined and on line imagined identities like Avatars.

Recently, I stumbled upon a weekly YouTube series called "Fred". Created by a 15 year old Nebraskan Lucas Cruikshank (IMDB) Fred follows a 6 year old hyper active kid in mini web episodes doing thinks like sneaking into his crush's trailer home.

I like to think of "Fred" as the G rated version of a NC-17 Ryan Trecartin video. you can check out them both below.

enjoy.

Ryan Trecartin, "I-BE AREA (A SAlly Man Now)" (clip) 2007

Lucas Cruikshank, "Fred" YouTube series above "Fred Loses His Meds" 2008