Photographer Brice Bischoff

What luck!  I’m off to vacation in New Orleans during PhotoNOLA and I simultaneously discover photographer Brice Bischoff‘s gorgeously rendered time-elapsed photography.  It helps that Bischoss has some Louisiana roots to set the mood; life could not get any better.

I’m crossing my fingers that my travel partner will surrender to my persistent pleas to participant in the Saturday art openings and maybe-just maybe-listen to the Stephen Wilkes lecture.

In the mean time, stare in wonderment at Bischoff’s Bronson Caves, a swirling haze of rainbows set amongst the earthly, cavernous wilderness.

[Photos by Brice Bischoff‘]

Bernard Faucon and the Modern Photograph

Just got back from a wonderful Bernard Faucon lecture at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with my wonderfully talented artist-friend Rosemary Winn (check out her work, she is amazing).

Faucon is a French artist who originally started painting before, in his own words,  realizing he had no talent and moved on to photography.  Faucon’s photographic works have themes of love, beauty and his personal favorite– childhood. Much of his photographic works explore the idyllic time of youth, sublime love and childhood dreams.

Earlier photographs explore these themes using mannequins engaged in some child-like activity, setup, scene or narrative.  As he got older, he starting photographing more conceptually like in Winter and Golden Rooms or their antithesis The Rooms of Love.

Faucon moved further away from photography in his series The Scriptures in which he built wooden words, staked them in various landscapes and photographed them with a strong flash; the words take on a ethereal quality, appearing to float above the ground.  These photos were less about the photograph and more about the words and thoughts themselves.

Finally, The End of the Image marks his last official project in photography.  These are exhibited as small photographs with powerful, poignant phrases painted on youthful skins.

Faucon led the audience from his earlier train of thought using staged photography to finally his disillusionment with staged photography.  He raises an interesting idea.  Paraphrasing his words, with the ubiquity of photography, everyone is taking photographs of everything.  “All the photographs have been taken…” There is no further need to photograph.

Instead, the artist becomes the person who selects the photograph.  For Faucon, the voice that makes a difference is the person who selects and who lends his/her perspective to the work.  And that, my friend, is why he no longer photographs.

Take a look at some of his stunning work below.  His voice is an artist’s voice that has expressed beautiful ideas.  As Faucon says, “You cannot get over the fact that it should come to an end…”

See more of Faucon’s works at Gallery Vu.

[Images from The Probable Evolution of Time by Bernard Faucon]

4 reasons to look forward to Valentine’s Day

Yes! It’s that time of year! Time to commercialize on romance or the lack of romance in your life! Either you’re in a relationship and looking for something to do or you’re single– and you’re still looking for something to do. Either way, you probably shouldn’t sit at home and ponder the meaning of loneliness.

Design Studio360 is hosting a Valentine’s Day contest “Will you make over my Valentine?” where you can submit unique Valentines! Yes, they are sick of the hearts, the roses, the corniness.

Maybe it’s because I started making my very own Valentine’s Day cards (which I have failed to finished), but I am fascinated with Valentine’s Day cards! Something about the sappy expression of love + appreciation, the candies, the red! Everything just screams novelty. Anyway, I have posted a few favorites from their Flickr feed…if you’re lucky, maybe someone loves you deeply enough to send you one!

(or maybe you don’t want the creepy love message?)

And if that didn’t satisfy your Valentine’s Day hunger, here are some more retro ones! If you like some retro stock art, check this out.

Taking love literally

I don’t mean to be so literal with the whole love theme of this blog, but I saw this photo by Alex Leme which that really made me wonder…

I love you...-God, Alex Leme (2009)

At last, my love has come along!

Hello
I find so many amazing, creative & beautiful things! I just wanted to collect them & share them with the world. Look forward to being privy to many discoveries as I scour the internet for sights both seen & unseen; hope you can join me.

I am alive; this is the evidence!

What does “Something like love” mean?
What is love? People say they are in love. They get married. Then they fall out of love. I don’t get it. Doesn’t love last forever? Maybe love changes. It’s sad nothing lasts forever.

I have never been in love. I don’t really know what it means.

Whatever it is, I am searching for that everlasting love. I want to collect things that make me feel alive. I want to collect things that speak to something greater than the material world. That or just shiny objects.

I want to collect these shiny objects and put them in a digital treasure trove– so that I can return and savor them. “Something like love” refers to my collection of things I love. Or something like love. If it’s not love– it’s the next best thing.

This blog is a work in progress, always. I am in search for love– and I am willing to put myself out there. I am taking a chance. I will be that ugly tree. I don’t have any expectations– than to be nothing.

I Miss You Already (2004), Tracey Baran