New book!

I finally got one of my 2 books in the mail: A Conductor Tells Unauthorized Train Stories – Should be a good read and if it is, I’ll write a little something on it.

Ah Dumbo, you are my favorite...

“I can stand the sight of worm and look at microscopic germs but Technicolor pachyderm is really too much for me.
I am not the type to faint when things are odd or things are quaint, but seeing things you know that ain't can certainly give you an awful fright. What a sight!
Chase 'em away! Chase 'em away! I'm afraid. Need your aid. Pink elephants on parade.”

Silly Lyrics of one of my all-time favourite classic movies: Dumbo (directed by Ben Sharpsteen)

Nonsense really, but I’ve recently come across a copy of this 64min film. I’m starting to think that when I use to watch it when I was young, it triggered some sort of fascination towards the circus, or maybe it might have been the train, Casey Jr., or maybe just the plain old absurdity to Dumbo’s hallucination when he gets drunk. You’d think for a family movie that this would be more kid appropriate, but you just have to love Disney’s ambiguous animation ideas! It’s great!

So putting aside the fact that it’s about a flying elephant, I have to put emphasis on the little steam locomotive that could. Literally! I always hated the part when the train climbed up that hill and pumped out sum weird noise. I hated it because it made no sense and sounded so weird! It didn’t chug like a normal train, but I was scared of a lot of things when it came to movies in my childhood. So watching this movie again lately, I then realized that the train wasn’t just making some strange sound, but he was actually saying “I think I can! I think I can!” and then once going downhill “I thought I could! I thought I could!” It wasn’t a bizarre noise at all, but him just saying those two lines through his chime whistle making it all sound so distorted.

But I guess, when your young, you don’t really pay attention to these things because it’s usually all about the visual an not so much about the context. - At least, that's how it worked for me anyways...

Train as Man

So here I’m reading on Andrew J. Birrell’s article of The North American Boundary Commission and I realise how photographing for the railways was of significant importance back in the late 1800s. Of course, this was all done in the process to actually build possible passages for the railways by surveying and exploring the land. He quotes, “It may be said that now no report of an exploration is considered complete unless accompanied by photographs.” It’s a very interesting line that I’ve put some thought to…

So, is what I observe through my viewfinder some kind of “report of an exploration? And then, once photographed, is it complete? It all sounds so scientific! But then again, photography was used, in the beginning, as visual documentations and was “indispensable and highly technical” to surveys, therefore in my opinion, a very scientific implement.

But things have changed since then and I don’t wish for people to study my photographs scientifically or as any ordinary documentation. I would like for them to look at my images as if a story is being told, like in fairy-tale-like or fable sort of way.

Take my trains for example, even thought I photograph them; I tend to create and leave a sort of mystery so the spectator has this aspect to question. I don’t photograph them like any common “railfan” because I don’t look for the good crisp quality of a calendar shot. (Although, in all do respect, “railfanning” is a very fun hobby.) As an artist, I wish to bring in a much more cultural take on this object to which I associate more humanlike characteristics. In other words, as a machine, the train has a certain rugged, aggressive and forceful quality with all its metal and steel components to which these aspects are represented culturally with masculinity that I wish to capture through my photographs.

What’s that you ask? Did I just represent trains to what we know culturally with masculinity? … as man?

Think about it…


BIRRELL, Andrew J., "The North American Boundary Commission – Three Photographic Expeditions, 1872-74", History of Photography, Volume 20, Mumber 2, Summer 1996: p. 113-121

The Golden Arrow is Back!

I see that I have taken quite the detour from this blog, but I’m back. I still have many things to share through unspoken words because I have too large of an imagination, which sometimes, I have to write about. I need to let the world know how my brain functions when it comes to my photography… and my fascination of trains!

To begin, I would like to clarify a little more about my love of photography. As stated in my statement of purpose to a certain university I wish to continue in the Masters’ field:

"As a child, I always wondered what it would be like to be behind the lens of a camera. Now that I am in the position of the photographer, I recognize the restriction of scenery that offers the viewfinder as a way to built memories in a subjective manner. I also believe that one frozen moment in time is a way of looking at the world that surrounds me. I can after, come back, and reminisce on these photographic memories; these very moments in time.
Photography is, for me, a way of life. When I carry around my camera like a third eye, I look through my viewfinder and see more than with my own bare eyes. I’ve come to look at any subjects with the interruption of a mechanism: my medium format camera. As I look, feel, and control what will be the subject recorded in my film, as a result I can control the spectator’s look. I manufacture their thoughts through my photographs. They will see exactly what I want them to see. Therefore, my photographs are a way to be in charge of the images and scenes I wish to create. "

Like Susan Sontag once said "To photograph is to appropriate the thing photographed" (1977)

While I wait...

So there I was, a sunny, warm autumn day, waiting for the train against a tin shed full of graffiti. I waited there for almost 3hrs. It wasn’t so bad. It could have rained.
I had some time to ponder about: why the train? Still a question I’m not fully capable of answering yet. But I can tell you this: upon reading into some of the train symbolisms, I’ve come across something interesting.

The Train - It could symbolize a journey--a journey which may be symbolic itself, such as journeying into regions in the psyche that are unexplored or journeying into a new relationship. It could also point to a journey into a new facet of life, a new destiny.
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art12200.asp
Aisling Ireland, Website copyright © 2008
Minerva WebWorks LLC. All rights reserved.

It is a very interesting perception of thinking that maybe because the train moves to a destination that it is considered a journey within itself. A journey to a new beginning for us humans.

But what happens when it’s not so much the traveling trains we’re interested in? That, I know for a fact we do not travel on freight trains. So then why do I have such a fascination for the cargo and not so much for the passengers?

Maybe this is where Magritte comes into play with his “object of mystery”… maybe a freight train is something more unknown to me. Each freight is a container full of something we don’t know. Sure, we could all guess that it’s mostly business’ and company’s supplies… but what if there’s something more? And the fact that there’s so many piled together on a long serpentine track making it seem like a monster in some form. And the weight it carries on its wheels screeching at every connecting rail.

What lies within?

That is something I deliberate and imagine to myself all the while I wait.

Catching the train (take 1)

I was finally able to get my video last night. After waiting two hours in the 0° cold, I thought to myself: Oh, the things I do for art. I was not going to leave until I got my shot. And what a satisfying feeling I once the train had passed.

I really had some time to think within my waiting time, mostly of my uncle. He’s a brilliant photographer who lives for his photography. He’ll wake up really early in the morning before the sun rises and wait for the lighting to be just right on whatever subject he’s shooting. He’ll sometimes spend entire days outside just waiting for the perfect moment. He does this everyday, photographing mostly nature. I’m thinking he must have acquired some great patience skills. He’s a very passionate and dedicated man and what amazes me the most is that he’s neither an artist nor a professional. He did not go to college or university yet he probably knows as much or maybe more than the average photo student. He talks almost like a professor.

So there I was standing around with a chill, and I kept thinking that I must have inherited his patience. I don’t know how I did it, but I managed to stay out, determined to catch my train. I guess that’s what good photography is all about.

The train... obliterated!

Ok, so I do love my digital camera! But sometimes I really hate it…

Technology serves us well in many ways but when it comes to its complex jargon, you better watch out. For example: you would think the word “format” should define a sort of layout, a set-up or an arrangement of some sort for things like pictures or documents, no? Well guess again. Today you should know that “to format” is to ERASE. That’s right, formatting is to remove, wipe out, expunge or even obliterate something clean from either your computer, or in my case, a DIGITAL camera!!!

Oh yes, thinking the option “format” was another term for rearranging my picture option, I went in. And I pressed “ok”.

Bad move.

It wouldn’t have been a big deal since most of my pictures were uploaded on my computer already… except for the fact I had just recorded a video (which is one reason why I love digital cameras) of a glorious freight train crossing the Elmwood Dr.

It was a beautiful night with a nice cool autumn breeze and the sky was full of stars. I had called in a friend of mine whose father worked for CN, and wondered if there would be a train passing at night. There was. He gave me the time of its departure from the Moncton Humpyard, so I got myself ready and waited for it. And waited… I waited up until I heard the rail crossing warning system come on. It was great!! I never got so close to a train at night until then. The loud sound of each cars rolling over every set of tracks and the occasional sparks from the wheels gave me such a thrill. I felt fear and excitement all at once. It was so close to me I could almost reach out and touch it! What a sight! And I had completely caught in on camera in its magnificent monstrosity.

… It was all good until I played with my camera on the way home and accidentally formatted my memory card. So there goes my train.... OBLITERATED!!



Something you would never be able to do with a film.

Why shouldn't the traditional photography come back?

After listening to Edward Burtynsky talk about his 10,000 year Gallery on CBC radio I started realising something: I agree. Specifically on his thoughts on the digital age and how we should welcome back the traditional ways of printed film photography!

We all think digital is fine and dandy, clicking here and there at every moment we live through, hoping our ridiculous amount of megapixels will be better than our friends’. We all do it. We click without really looking, and if the picture isn’t good we take another while deleting the last. So once we’re satisfied with our picture we need to find a machine, usually the expensive kinds that you can’t really get under 500$ unless its second hand. What kind of machine you ask?

A computer of course! Unless you think going to those printing machines at the department stores are cheaper. It’s up to you. Either way we need to find a way for our digitally formatted photography to be viewed. So then we print. But what if you have over 5000 pictures? Why would you spend so much money printing them? Well, you don’t. You’ll just en up showing off your pictures from the screensavers or make lots of slideshows. But you’ll still need a machine with a screen. Either that or you’ll only print out selected pictures that you never really put any more thought into than that.

But what about the manipulation of pictures on the computer that could never be done in the traditional ways?

A good point made. But in my opinion, in this digital age we need to upgrade so often that even if you’ve managed to create a piece of art on Photoshop today, you’ll need to find a computer that hasn’t become obsolete in 5 years just to view it. So print it before its too late!!

But in that case, u'll then need go buy another computer which can become more expensive than just buying the blasted 35mm flims!

Ok, so now we've switched to films. A supposedly long process of buying the 5$ film, loading it in the camera, and then clicking away. Or just buy a disposable for a couple more bucks. Oh, but wait! You only have 24-36 shots! Better make the most of it and save your time on things that are worth remembering. But isn’t that a good thing? Isn’t that what photography is all about? Taking your time, looking, observing, seeing things as they are with your own eyes first? Contemplating and hesitating are keys to taking a good photograph since you won’t really know the result until it’s developed. I don’t remember the last time I did that with a digital camera in my hands knowing the picture will instantaneously appear on the LCD screen. So what if we all take a little more time with film photography? Why have we come to think that film is too time consuming? Why do we all have to hurry?

Unfortunately hastiness and laziness is inevitable in this technological age and that is why traditional photography is disappearing. So until everyone decides to slow down again, I think it should come back!


http://blog.longnow.org/2008/07/24/edward-burtynsky-the-10000-year-gallery/
http://www.cbc.ca/spark/blog/2008/09/full_interview_ed_burtynsky_on_1.html

Strange... and surreal!

How strange can surrealism get? Very.

Coming across the famous painting of Time Transfixed of René Magritte, I question myself: why a train? The artist explains,

"I decided to paint the image of a locomotive . . . In order for its mystery to be evoked, another immediately familiar image without mystery — the image of a dining room fireplace — was joined."

It is also insinuates that:

“This painted image is an example of the mystery of thought. Rather than use images that are in themselves strange or absurd (such as angels or the creatures of other Surrealists), Magritte brought together commonplace images in improbable ways, enhancing what is specific and mysterious about each.” - http://www.davidrumsey.com/amica/amico649500-5784.html

So then, is a train an object of mystery? A trail of complicated vehicles piled together to indicate a sort of secrecy and ambiguity?

I may be looking at this the wrong way, but maybe Magritte was on to something…

Looking

at

Animals

Have you ever wondered why zoos exist among us? How today humans have become so disconnected from animals and nature itself that we must observe it… neigh, study it, from afar? What intrigues us so about looking at animals that live in exhibited captivity?

As we all know, throughout history, animals were as important to man as man was to animals. If understood correctly, Berger’s About Looking quotes something of the likes:

“Animals came from over the horizon. They belonged there and here. Likewise they were mortal and immortal. An animal’s blood flowed like human blood, but its species was undying and each lion was a Lion each ox an Ox. This – maybe the first existential dualism – was reflected in the treatment of animals. They were subjected and worshipped, bred and sacrificed.”

Today with capitalism’s influence and way of life, “animals are placed in a receding past”, as Buffon says in Burgers article:

“Man has raised himself above the state of nature, animals have fallen below it: conquered and turned into slaves, or treated as rebels and scattered by force, their societies have faded away […]”

Are we so arrogant to think we’re above and beyond these creatures and see them as insignificant beings? We then have the need to capture them, exhibit them, and look at them.

But look at what? Artificial environments? Wild animals that aren’t really wild?

Caged to a small confinement, they are rarely stimulated like they would be in the natural state. In a Zoo, they don’t live with a constant watch for their survival. They wait for the zookeepers to feed them at appropriate times and lazy about with gazes not so genuinely returned to the visitors.

On another note, if these animals are somewhat domesticated per say, why should we pity them? A large number of the animals found in zoos originate from another zoo or the same, therefore the creature would not know any better. Like humans who are raised in their own culture or way of life, would they know better if we were without the gift of knowledge, wisdom and sagacity? My answer would most definitely be no. It would be their way of life.

In the end, this way of looking at creatures, animals, nature, or anithing else in that matter, will most definitly influence the way I look and observe things under the photographic eye in future sightings to come.