Post Discovery - Thin Places

For me, when I become immersed in an idea it is though I become magnetic. Ideas or articles that have a direction connection to what I am doing smack me in the face, and say "I am here for you". The following article came to my attention as I was about to throw away a pile of old news papers. If you have an interest in the meaning of sense of place this is for you.

TRAVEL, like life, is best understood backward but must be experienced forward, to paraphrase Kierkegaard. After decades of wandering, only now does a pattern emerge. I’m drawn to places that beguile and inspire, sedate and stir, places where, for a few blissful moments I loosen my death grip on life, and can breathe again. It turns out these destinations have a name: thin places.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/11/travel/thin-places-where-we-are-jolted-out-of-old-ways-of-seeing-the-world.html?_r=4&pagewanted=1

Research Book Shelf

The author of this book Crady Clay teaches you how to see a community as physical spaces .

Lucy Lippard provides examples of artist and community involvement in the landscape,

 providing insightful comment on the pitfalls and success of making pubic art. 

Dolores Hayden's book uses memory of place and history to  

show how to empower a community by preserving the past.

Supporting ideas and speaking points for "Post Discover", post card project

“In 1906 the fashionable Photo and Lithographed cards made Eastman Kodak enter the marketplace by making an affordable camera called the "Folding Pocket Camera".  The public was now able to take black and white photographs and have them printed right onto postcard backs.  More cameras of this type entered the market which then brought on the Real Photo Postcard era.” http://www.emotionscards.com/museum/historyofpostcards.htm

“Vernacular Photographs - Photographs taken by unknown and anonymous photographers without manipulation of the finished image whose happy accidents and successful failures resulted in surprising and tantalizing works of art.” http://www.emotionscards.com/museum/historyofpostcards.htm

Right from the start anyone with a camera could make a photographic post card. Rotary drum printing allowed mass printing, it is these cards that set up the standard subject matter that we have come to associate with post cards. Color predominates the postcard and is often over looked as it now seems so commonplace.

“Confirming America's love for high color and bright images and a new type of postcard, the color "Photo chrome" (called Chrome or Modern Chromes) appeared.  "Chrome" postcards started to take over the marketplace immediately after they were launched by the Union Oil Company.  Sold in their western service stations, they were easily produced, were of high photo quality and of most importance, they were in true living color!” http://www.emotionscards.com/museum/historyofpostcards.htm

The above research has provided me with two ways of looking at postcards historically; open subject matter of the vernacular, and color. This information has given me a foot hold for me to build upon and hopefully enough information for my professor's to understand my choices within this project.

Now I will guide you through what I intend to do and not do.

Photographic documentation:
First off subject matter is totally open, vast and varied with only the thought of making a documentation photograph. The photograph, may or may not be composed using the traditions of the standard postcard. I hope to make the viewer question my photographic motivation, thereby starting a dialogue. My intent is not to load the image with symbolism for the purposes of a deeper or layered meaning even if on occasional one appears. To serialize my photographs with symbol is not part of my concept. The mundane and the ordinary are my partners along with traditional/ historic postcard fare.

 On titles: Titles tend to load an image with unnecessary information, any preconceptions from verbiage would diminish the discover experience.

My photographic postcards come with a GPS location numbers not with titles. The GPS numbers are a means to make the card interactive. The intention is for the buyer to go beyond the image by navigating to the location.The photographic card is expanded in sight, sound and smell, in fact all the senses used in discovery.  It is after this experience that the image card becomes a souvenir of the experience. This is a reversal the traditional postcard process of purchasing as you exit the experience.

The printed card:
The front of the card is a photographic representation of something you may see at the given location. The image is meant to tease the viewer not provide an iconic representation. The space on the back of the card functions as a traditional postcard in that the card has room for an address and stamp. The message side is full of information and explains how to use the card. A small box at the top will indicated the GPS coordinate of the image location. A URL is provided for the "Post Discovery" on line gallery  and  Google Maps page. The Google Maps page will have all locations marked for any one without a GPS device. Finally a note urges the viewer to enjoy the journey of discovery.

My objective and concept is to engage the viewer through photographic image cards prompting interactivity and discovery. This one act performance is implemented through the historical print medium of the post card, updated with a touch of satellite positioning technology. To my knowledge this has never been done with the postcard.

 Speaking points for  “discovery though photography and postcard”

Show Eggelston’s Red Ceiling photo, question the external, the smell of a bar room, food cooking, music playing, people in room, hot or cold outside, so why is this photo so iconic if we know so little.

1.  A single image can tell you much about a time and place, but it also excludes all the other information surrounding it. It is all the other information that makes place memorable. The GPS enriched post card is yours for discovery.

2. Sense of place can also be defined as “the personality of location”

3. Sense of place includes sight, sound, smell, touch, temperature and taste, in fact all the sense enhance and ingrain memory.

4. Place stimulates visual memory, and memory is important to social history.

          

5. The photograph is a small selection of the surrounding fabric of place.

6.The photographic post card has been used primarily as an exit device, purchased after the visit of a place, used to support or relate experience and discovery.

7. My photographs are intended to be a front-end device encouraging you to get out and be part of the community of discovery.

8. The photos representing place may be traditionally composed or simply gestural studies. Think that to see a great master painting is to stand in awe, but to study the sketchbooks is to understand the thinking behind the painting and the individual. My photos are of my own journey of old and new places, that may be historic, absurd, poetic, abstract and mundane. My idea is to expand not narrow down to a singular way of teasing out discovery.

9.  My post cards do not carry titles; titles would interfere with the discovery process. The journey starts with a photograph image and the proverbial x marks the spot GPS coordinates

.

10. GEO caching is a popular past time for campers/ hikers out-of-door types, usually a guest book is hidden in a sealed box for you to locate (with your hand held GPS device loaded with way points/box locations) as you experience the trail. Geo caching is much like what I offer with the enhance photo post card, with the exception that the destination choices are designed to increase your knowledge of community.

12. My research and own discovery have only been a positive experience, exciting spin off ideas have emerged that could potentially keep me busy for years.

The following information may be useful in designing an interactive map featuring images and image locations.

Google earth has a “Sight seeing tour” feature where you can upload your way points along with photos for other to go on your journeys, my photos would be purchased in print form with the GPS coordinates on the back of the card, designed to get you up and out on a path to making your own experiences.

A look at the bag of thriftshop postcards- part three

As a reminder the numbers below the post card correspond to the  following categories of investigation.
1. subject matter
2. framing of the image
3. intent or message of photograph
4. how the image impacts me

1. subject is modern air travel, more specifically the"Arrival Building — John F. Kennedy International Airport", Idlewild, Queens, New York
2. panoramic with a large portion of the image featuring an area of landscaping
3. the planes would suggest air travel, but the garden suggest soothing earth bound contemplation, complete with fountains nearer to the airport
4. I just love this image, it is a conundrum of sorts, the air planes look pasted on, I would think that a facility of this magnitude of this could do better. This is a naive presentation of a world class airport. This image gives license to do montage work on my own work.

1. "Avenue of Flags Liberty State Park" Jersey City, New Jersey" need I say more
2. a nice diagonal of color with little sense of the park except that it is on a body of water with a bridge visible in the back ground
3. given the variety of the flag this is an historic site with little else than an open area of ground, a visitor souvenir
4. a nice safe image, generic, the beauty here is in the mundane, I hope to capture and show the beauty in the ordinary

1.tourist "spin off", a destination that cannot be mistaken "West Yellowstone is the western gateway to Yellowstone National Park".
2. a "staged" photograph in more than one way
3. a fun stop, the myth of the wild west town is recreated here... with pavement
4. this image leaves me cold, little to engage in, an image compromise for all the shop owners

1. "Flame Azalea in bloom in the Southern Appalachian Mountains", natural botanical
2. a close up defining clusters of blossoms
3. a beautiful blossom that defines the environment
4. this is a "universal experience" for me, I had the good fortune to hike the Roan Mountain in North Carolina a few years ago while this wild Azalea was in bloom with bushes scattered about an open mountain meadow, the sight was a testimony to natures beauty. This post card does not do much for where the plant is found naturally. The shame is the plant would not exist if the environment it grows in were not protected. Here we have half awareness but can appreciate its beauty. The card succeeds.

1."Washington's Bedroom at Mount Vernon" a historical site/museum
2. Nice interior shot, well lite, slight diagonal, with window and door to add "expectation"
3. to provide a visitor with a professional view of their experience, take home collectable
use to jog the memory of a complicated arrangement
4. This is the only interior in the bag of images, suggesting that exterior views are more popular or that not as many public sites have interiors that are open to visitation. I will try and find at minimum one public interior to photograph. I give this postcard two thumbs up.

The Cure for Thinking is Work

“all scholars – need to do less thinking and more working.” When your thinking," Stallybrass writes, “you're usually staring at a blank sheet of paper or a blank screen, hoping that something

will emerge from your head and magically fill that space. Even if something “comes to you’’ there's
no reason to believe that it is of interest, however painful the process has been’’ (1584). This is a
key insight that students and scholars alike need to be reminded of: tortured and laborious
thinking does not automatically translate into anything of importance."


http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/the-cure-for-thinking-is-work/37908

Thank you Mark Sample for relaying this bit of inspiration by Peter Stallybrass

A look at the bag of thriftshop postcards part two

As a reminder the numbers below the post card correspond to the  following categories of investigation.
1. subject matter 
2. framing of the image
3. intent or message of photograph
4. how the image impacts me

1. "The Dancing Lesson - Italian Garden, Photo Copyrighted by C.V.C., Biltmore House & Gardens Biltmore Estate, N.C. Not post marked

1. statuary,  in architectural setting
2. centered with banister as leading line, framed by steps and wall 
3. for the tourist to take home or send
4. this card reminds me of the Ringling Museum and the grandeur based on European ideas, the card is on fine art deckle paper printed in Switzerland, the color is a bit off but the subject matter and paper make a nice fit.

Top; "Eisenhower Museum Abilene, Kansas. Not postmarked, circa early 1970's
Bottom; "Authentic Gems local to North Carolina. Ektachrome by Ed Carver." Not postmarked

1. special minerals / gems
2. centered and arranged
3. to tout area and region via objects of interest 
4. would I have brought the post card with the moon rock? Yes if I had been to the  Eisenhower Museum to see it first hand. How about the gem card? Yes to that too. It is an ugly card but does the job as a quick reminder of what "Citrine Topaz" looks like. 

"Where the Maple is golden and the skies are blue",  typical New Jersey - Pennsylvania Autumn afternoon. Copyright 1962

1. country side
2. country road in center with colorful tree filling half the frame, school of  the red spot
3. to put you there, idyllic
4. "scenic it before" most likely on a calender, the blue and the orange are eye popping, but all in all a safe image, good for robust sales

Top; "Latham's Motel, Sevierville Tennessee, Color Photo by Gene Aiken", not postmarked.
Center; "Quality Court Motel of Pocomoke, Pocomoke City, Md.", not postmarked.
Bottom; " Cavalier Motel and Restaurant, tub and shower in each room, Fort Littleton, Pa.",
not postmarked.

1. motels
2. various, road view, pool near and far, interior sleeping, interior dining all with acceptable lighting
3. to show case on one card as much as possible, reduce cost of multiple cards
4. the diptych and triptych are like seeing the motel in an almost cubist manner, the idea of the expanded view has the gears of possibility turning. For the most part I think these are ugly but they get the job done.

"The American Falls, Gorge Tower and the Maid of the Mist, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada"
not postmarked.


1. cascades / waterfalls
2. nicely framed, two thirds rule, good diagonal structure
3. take home souvenir of a icon attraction
4. I enjoy looking at postcards of Niagara fall and think of honey mooners in heart shaped beds.
I would have to say that waterfalls are romantic and hypnotic.

Top; "James A. Cawood Senior High School, Harlan County, Kentucky", not postmarked but has stamp.
Bottom; "St Vincent Hospital, Green Bay, Wisconsin, copyright 1959, not postmarked.

1. school, hospital, local institutions
2. t. through center b. perspective and divided frame
3. show case area, send to friends and relatives if you attended either intuition
4. both of these images blow my mind because the unique use of space and color. The top one is so bad that I love it, the grass and sky demand equal attention causing my eye to fly off the frame. There is nothing here to make me think this is a school. Bottom image has this black, what is it running top to bottom on the right side, is that a camera strap? Odd element in an other wise mundane view. I would have to say this is a candidate for the "expanded view".

A Look at the bag of thriftshop postcards

I have chosen approximately twenty five cards to examine to develop content for my own body of work. I set forth three criteria in the preceding post and have made a decision to add a fourth. I will look at the cards in terms of 1. subject matter, 2. framing of the image, 3. intent and 4. how the image impacts me. The numbered category will correspond to numbered statements below each card or group of cards. All the cards were purchased in a plastic bag as a group so the ones represented here constitute a edit only to minimize thematic duplication. I believe this bag of cards was a part or entire collection of cards which frees me of the task of buying individual cards to look at, thereby making this study a bit more even handed investigation.

Top; "New Orleans Custom House" Linen Card 1930-1944, center and bottom; "The Government Printing Office" Washington D.C. Oldest card in set, Divided Black Era 1907-1915


1, note worthy buildings, most likely open for public touring
2. perspective view, no surrounding environment

3. souvenir showcasing government facilities, not post marked
4. I respond to thing with age and particular like the color and dynamics of the "Printing Office"
*  Besides showing the back of the card for dating clues I like the words "Choicest Views" and plan to use this to entitle my book and body of work.

Top; "Monument of the French Occupation at Fort Ticonderoga 1755-1759" Linen Card
Bottom: "Minnesota and Pennsylvania Monuments, Hancock Ave., Gettysburg, Pa."

1. public monuments to an important event, and to the soldiers who fought and died there
2. views are presented as you might approach the monuments, some environment
3. souvenir of public park, not post marked
4. informative to a degree, no cars or people interacting with in frame, sterile

Front / back; "Whaleship, Charles W. Morgan, Mystic Sea Port, Mystic, Conn."
Card postmarked 1955, Modern Photochrome Era, 1939-present

1. show case of historical nautical items
2. use of foreground / background areas of interest, use of scale
3. souvenir for tourist attraction, family friendly, educational
4. even with the classic triangle composition, this post card is entirely boring, possibly due to the jumble of dock-boat-anchor, no clear center of interest.
*What made this card for me is the message, "It's a nice place to look around". Helen you should have been a politician.

"Carl Hoppl's" in Baldwin N.Y. Writing on the back; "Had dinner here with the girls from bank on our annual outing 8/63. Then went to Jones Beach to see "Around the World in Eighty Days". Card never sent.

1. restaurant
2. shot at dusk with lights on, perspective view
3. advertising, plenty of info about facility, open / close / dancing / private rooms
4. this is a cool picture, plenty of ambiance and style, makes me think of prime rib

"Motel Laurence Ste-Anne De Beaupre, P.Q." (Provence of Quebec) no date, but the car in the photo looks to be a station wagon, the small taillights and T.V. antenna would indicate the 1950s 

1. motel
2. centered in frame showing the road and motel sign, seven units are clearly visible
3. low cost advertising, with address on white boarder front of card
4. the fact that the card is black and white provides ideas, this is a truly mundane image

Top; "Dunes Motel, Bend Ore., 30 air conditioned units all will dial phones and color T.V."
Center and bottom; "T.V. Motel, Banlieu Canada"

1. motels
2. perspective views, frame divided close to half
3. motel advertising, most likely free giveaways, convenience item
4. vintage motel cards are a pure joy to view. The motel was once the domain of mom and pop operations and the post card was an effective cheap form of advertising that they all handed out.
*The center view is my favorite postcard from the bunch. I squealed with delight when I saw what to me looked like the shadow of the photographer in the lower right. The other shadow of a pole and the warm tone of the building allows me to see that the picture was taken late in the afternoon with the tip of the pole shadow pointing E.N.E., this is summer by the foliage. The road sign in the upper left expands the dimensional space in an odd way but shows what you need to look for along the highway. Finally I just love the statement "Where the most important people like to stay", that is when you find yourself in the middle of nowhere!

Pixel Pot's Senior Thesis Process Starts Here

“Postcards, I want to make postcards’’,  silence ensued,  you want to make post cards?... and so it began.

This idea excites me as it allows for my own interpretation of a classic photographic venue that has a rich history as well as a current day convention. This project would take me on a journey of places old and new, places that may be historic, absurd, poetic and even mundane. I would look at different periods of post cards for their subject matter, style, and color pallet. My subjects would all be found locally. I would try and procure a postcard rack for the exhibit to display my work along with the thought of having two or three as large-scale prints. As in any shop where one might find and buy postcards, the rack would contain a variety of works by various producers; with this in mind I permit myself to try a variety of ideas. The body of work will feel eclectic for the sake of appealing to a wide range of shopper. I would approach my project with a smile that reflects from the surface of a postcard received in the mail. At the moment my thoughts are to retain the nostalgia of the printed postcard and not move into the digital age. If time allows and if I can learn how to make a simple GIFF perhaps an animated card will make an appearance. Post cards are ubiquitous through out the world and we have all sent or received one, although few have given any thought to the photographer. The post card photographer reflects the experience of sense of place, a visual summation that a few brief words on the back of the card fail to match. The question for the postcard photographer is to determine what is a universal experience. I want to stand in that persons shoes and make my own judgments of what is a worthy universal experience worth the price of a postage stamp. Finally a disclaimer; The process outlined above is subject to change, just like life itself.

More thoughts from an E-mail corespondents;

So I decided that I will make postcards. Then the thought came  to me that the general public cares little who photographed the scene or object, as long as it fits into their vacation (location) experience. So who makes the decision to photograph what? That person is me. From the historic to the mundane, from blossoms to boats. AND if I can find the right GPS (budget $) each card will have a location, this allows the visitor to stand in the exact spot, "The Choicest Views" of the places I photographed, thereby allowing them to expand on the postcard.

Thoughts on getting started;

Now that my proclamations have been made (above), I must start the business of photographing. I will start photographing by asking one question; what gets chosen to be on a postcard now, by me today. If I were to want to sell images to gift shops in a certain local how should I go about that. When I came up with the term the "universal experience" I was applying it to sale-able cards, cards that could tell a story, depict, illustrate areas of interest to the traveler, generate the card company cash. I will start the process of photographing by looking at a bag of approximately thirty post cards that I purchased at a resale shop this past summer for price of three dollars. This bag was truly mixed, some used other new, the most recent 1995 the oldest (not used) probably from the late teens or twenties. I will look at them in terms of subject matter, framing of the image, and intent. The fact that postcards are treasured and collected gives credence to my project. It is not surprising to see a hand written date above the senders message, this indicates to me that the cards were meant to be fond treasures, memories to be look back upon. The official term for collecting postcards is "Deltiology" and is thought to be the third largest of all the correctable hobbies just behind coin and stamps. This is according to http://www.emotionscards.com/museum/historyofpostcards.htm. I do believe this was written before people started collecting friends on "Facebook".