Grant Ernhart photography

© Allison Grant

Allison Grant was one of the new people I was lucky enough to meet at my Harold residency last summer(By the way, today is the last day to apply for this summer’s residency! Hurry up if you are interested). I think her work is interesting for multiple reasons. First, I find that much of her work is very seductive, in the sense that her images make me want to spend time with them and to parse out the way she shot them and the purposefulness behind them. Allison is trying to meld her interests with photography with her questions/concerns over the reality that humanity is slowly consuming our environment and irrevocably hurting nature. One of the things I most admire about her work is that in order to tackle these issues she has sought ways that she can contribute to the existing dialogue without being overly didactic or being overly obvious. She is not flying all over the world to photograph the receding glaciers or melting ice caps, the whole while releasing loads of carbon emissions, thus contributing to the current dilemma. Instead, she is working from her surroundings in Chicago, utilizing the materials of the everyday that are slowly piling up everywhere in our throw away culture.

© Allison Grant

© Allison Grant

In her own words Allison says:

“These photographs examine the natural world through objects we use and discard regularly: plastics, disposable goods and printed media. Using these materials, I construct and photograph landscape scenes that at first seem untouched and pristine, but reveal their artifice upon cLose Weight Exercise/”>Lose Weight Exerciser inspection.”

© Laura Swanson

I can finally write a post highlighting my good friend Laura Swanson. She has made the decision after much debate to create a website and share her work. This is good news for us. Laura is currently an MFA candidate at RiSD, but she cut her teeth here in San Francisco at SFAI. Laura is also a former Minnesotan, which creates an even tighter bond than being merely SFAI alums!

She has been continuing to focus on portraiture and self-portraiture during her stint at RiSD. I think much of her new work is simultaneously beautiful, slightly humorous and a little bit disturbing. It definitely makes an impact when it first comes across your eyes, but I think it also deftly navigates the topics of difference; cultural, gender and otherwise. Take a minute and visit her newly revamped and hopefully permanent web presence, there are plenty of interesting projects to see.

Over on Vimeo, Ricky Montalvo, has just posted the Official PhotoCorps Trailer. The series is an audio/visual video inspired by the Pause to Begin series. Ricky is a film maker and photographer and he has started interviewing other California photographers about their work, life and process. I met with him about a week ago and had a really great time giving the interview, which really felt more like a conversation. I am looking forward to seeing the final products of each of his interviews, but until then here is a short trailer that you can check out.

This past weekend I went to see Cary Fukunaga’s Sin Nombre. I found it to be an amazing movie. First, the cinematography was brilliant, beautiful colors and well crafted scenes. Part of that richness can be attributed to the fact that, Adriano Goldman, who shot the film, chose to use 35mm film rather than the more vogue High Definition camera. What initially drew to the film was that Fukunaga grew up just across the Bay in Berkeley, CA, and so perhaps it was out of a desire to support the local boy that I went to see it. I think, I was also impressed that he is only 31 and this was going to be his debut feature length film. Well, whatever my initial reason for going, I am glad that I went. Sin Nombre is tough, surprising, gritty and beautiful.

“Sin Nombre” is a remarkable film, showing the incredible hardships people will endure in order to reach El Norte. Yes, the issue of illegal immigration is a difficult one. When we encounter an undocumented alien, we should not be too quick with our easy assumptions. That person may have put his life on the line for weeks or months to come here, searching for what we so easily describe as the American dream. What inspired Fukunaga, an American, to make this film, I learned, was a 2003 story about 80 illegals found locked in a truck and abandoned in Texas. Nineteen died.
- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times

The only real criticism I have is not actually with the film itself, but with the tag line on the movie’s poster. “The greatest sin of all is risking nothing.” What? This does not really have anything to do with what actually happens in the film, it seems like some ad execs bright idea to play on the word sin. Maybe they thought it would make the film seem more provocative… I don’t really speak much Spanish, but I think most people know that sin in Spanish is far from meaning the same as sin in English. Anyway, the film is still great check out a trailer here.

If you were thinking of applying for a residency this summer, I would highly recommend the Harold Arts Residency that takes place on the Jeffers Tree Farm in Chesterhill, Ohio. I went last year and made a bunch of work (that will be up on my site soon) and also met a ton of really interesting and creative folks. I have not attended other residencies, but I am fairly comfortable in saying that Harold provides a very unique experience. If this sounds interesting you will need to hurry and submit the relatively simple application as it is due by April 30th. Come on, apply, what else are you going to do this summer that could potentially be as fun and useful for yourself and your artistic practice! To see the application go here.