Resourceful.

touching strangers

Jane, Teressa, Robert and Thomas, Clinton, CT 2008

I  really love Rich Renaldi’s Touching Strangers series.

Touching Strangers is a an ongoing photographic project stemming from my interest in the dynamics of group portraiture. The premise of this work is simple; I meet two or more people on the street who are strangers to each other, and to me. I ask them if t hey will pose for a photograph together with the stipulation that they must touch each other in some manner. Just as often, I let their tentative physical exploration play out before my camera with no interference.

I undertook Touching Strangers as a means of bringing new complexity to the art of portrait-making. My objective was to introduce an unpredictable variable in a very traditional photographic formula; to create a spontaneous and fleeting relationship between complete strangers in front of my 8×10 view camera.

Though these situations involve orchestrated collaborations between subject and photographer, the emotions captured are both genuine and honest. Touching Strangers encourages viewers to think about how we relate physically to one another, and to entertain the possibility that there is unlimited potential for new relationships with almost everybody passing by.

—Rich Renaldi

If you are in New York City, you can currently see prints from Touching Strangers at The Gallery at Hermès,  691 Madison Avenue, New York, NY . The show is up until May 28, 2010.

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one good thing about taxes

Between 1939 and 1941, and again in the mid-1980s, New York City officials photographed every house and building in the five boroughs for property and taxation purposes. Photographic prints of these unique images are available for purchase from the NYC Department of Records. The older ones are great!

i have to make

“In April of 2007, John Maeda quietly posted a haiku he had written to his blog. It was entitled ‘think-make-think,’ and to me it fulfilled the potential of Maeda’s simplicity. Over the next few months, that haiku often found its way to the forefront of my mind. When our studio acquired the remnants of a discarded arrow sign, it was clear to me that think-make-think was a perfect fit, both in form and function.”

—Clifton Burt

The second edition of ‘think-make-think’ is available from 20×200 for $50.

fake forest

Most old toys have a direct and unembarrassed manner. In a good old toy, there is apt to be nothing self conscious about the use of materials. What is wood is wood. What is tin is tin. What is cast is beautifully cast. It is possible that somewhere in all of this is a clue to what sets the creative climate of any time…including our own.

Charles Eames
“Toccata for Toy Trains” (1957)

Each time I see a cell phone tower disguised as a tree I think of this Eames quote. I am one of those people who likes seeing windmills, powerlines and infrastructure. What is that lone Grand Sequoia doing in the middle of the Hutchinson Parkway? It is more out of place than the structure it is hiding. That said, I love these things. They say a lot about the “creative climate” of our time.

I also love Robert Voit’s New Trees photo series.

In New Trees, Robert Voit employs delicate irony to demonstrate that the background noise of verbal communication, so to speak, has long since reached the visual domain.  —Christoph Schaden

A forthcoming book entitled: Robert Voit: New Trees will be available in 2010. Published by Steidl International. Pre-order one now from Amazon for $36.54.

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an independent woman

Armory Arts Week is over. How overwhelming. Unfortunately, the Armory Show itself was about as underwhelming as possible. On the flip side, there was INDEPENDENT. INDEPENDENT is billed as “a hybrid model and temporary exhibition forum,” It took place at the former X Initiative and former Dia Center for the Arts at 548 West 22nd Street and it was FREE! And there were no VIP rooms! Or walls separating the galleries (which sometimes made it confusing though if you wanted to know exactly who did what).

My favorite artist in the show has to be Lisa Anne Auerbach. She is a photographer, a knitter, and a conceptual artist, mixing art and politics in ways that most everyone can relate to. And she likes bicycles.

Click below to see more of her work.

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new york…block by block

Just over a year ago, Christoph Niemann made some Lego representations of New York City and posted photos of them on his NY Times blog. They are brilliant. Abrams  has just published a book of these images and some new ones too! Click below to see more.

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irving penn 1917-2009

Read Andy Grundberg’s piece from the NY Times here.

the face of boxing

Check out selections from photographer Holger Keifel’s project, “The Face
of Boxing,” a series of over 350 gorgeous portraits, ranging from trainers and cutmen to such superstars as Evander Holyfield, Bernard Hopkins, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Oscar De La Hoya. At the Prince George Gallery until the end of the month. The gallery is located at 15 East 27th Street between Fifth and Madison. Hours are Tuesday through Staurday, 12PM-5PM.

Image: Floyd Mayweather, Jr. © Holger Keifel

awkward family photos

I just can’t get enough of awkwardfamilyphotos.com…