Whole Plate Alumitype (Wet Plate Collodion)

#3 Whole Plate Alumitype (6.5"x8.5") May 9, 2009 - Viernheim, Germany 

Puppet Shows & German Neighbors

The world is a strange place and so much of it is relative. In other words, we seek truth, we want truth, and sometimes we even believe we have truth, but most of the time it’s not truth at all, only our interpretation of truth. (Please keep in mind when I say “truth” I’m referring to "reality" – mostly).

I have a funny and relevant story to tell you now that I’ve laid that ground work. I’m writing it down, because I want to refer to it when I see something and assume that I know what it is without inquiring or doing research about it. It will force me to ask questions and do the research before I make up my mind as to what it is I’m seeing, reading or listening to, I hope.

In Germany, you’re always being watched. At least to some degree. If you have 80 year-old German neighbors, like we do, most likely, everything you do that can be observed, will be observed. I have my own opinions on why this is, but it would defeat the point I’m trying to make and would take much longer to write about than I have time for (I have to be in a certain mood and a certain frame of mind to "blog" – I just can’t "turn it on" whenever I want).

Anyway, our neighbors, the Knopps (Ka-Nops) let our landlord know that they were very upset about us putting some plastic in the wrong recycle bin. We have four, yes four, recycle bins: paper, Gelbe (yellow sack, for plastic, wrappers, etc), Bio (for coffee grounds, food waste, etc.), and Abfalle (yard waste, leaves, grass clippings, tree limbs, etc.).

The Knopps inspect what’s in the bins and keep a tight reign on recycling waste. Sometimes, we make mistakes, but not often. On a side note, about a month ago, not far from here, a German man beat his neighbors to death for putting the yard waste in the wrong bin – true story. The Knopps also told our landlords that we need to spend more time on our yard and sweeping the street on Saturday morning (German ritual – to stave off chaos).

Now you have a good sense of what our neighbors are like (which is typical here) let me tell you the rest of the story. The Knopps had one last thing to tell our landlords about us. Most every weekend, you can find me, and a lot of times Summer, making photographs (Wet Plate Collodion) on our winter garden. The Knopps can see what we do – so I would imagine they’ve watched us make a lot of photographs. But going back to my original point, what the Knopps watch is not two artist’s working in their studio making photographs, they see the American neighbors putting on puppet shows, yes, I said puppet shows. They mean this in a derogatory way, too. Does that blow your mind? I can understand why they “see” that. The camera is always facing the opposite way from their view and every time someone goes under the dark-cloth it must look like a performance as the sitter is looking on and sometimes holding props or wearing some kind of costume. I can’t imagine what the dark-box represents – maybe that’s where we make the puppets? Can you imagine what they’re thinking as they are watching the puppet show from the crack in their window blind? Wow! I was blown away and literally started laughing when I heard this and it’s been on my mind since. I now refer to making Wet Plate Collodion photographs, as a puppet show - “Hey Summer, do you want to do a puppet show today?” 

Wet Plate Collodion Positives & Negative From April 11, 2009

I'm suppose to be editing video for my DVD today. I'm not in the mood. After I get done with this post, I'm going to go make another espresso and sit on the porch and watch the day pass.

It's gorgeous today. It's sunny and almost 26C (~80F) degrees. That's my maximum comfortable temperature. If it gets past 26C I don't like it.

Summer and I had a good time yesterday making photographs. She's got it down. She helped me with the negative work and made several positive images on her own. I'll go out on a limb here and say that she's probably the youngest Collodionista in the world! I'm sure I'll get some email if she's not. I'm trying to encourage her to teach the process when she starts college next year. It would be a great part time gig for an undergraduate student, not to mention what doors it may open for her.

Here are a few plates from yesterday's effort (as always, click to enlarge):

"Summer's Fan" - Whole Plate Alumitype
"The Three Summers" - Whole Plate Alumitype 
"Westmalle Trappist Beer" - 5"x7" Negative Toned/POP
Sometimes, we run out of room on our mantle for glass and metal!

Considering Creativity

What does it mean to be creative? Does it mean you are witty, fun and different? Or that you can make tiny flowers from pieces of bread? Play cover songs in a band? How about writing an incredible document like Thomas Jefferson did? How do you define it? What are the qualities and how do you recognize them?

I've been spending a lot of time traveling and teaching wet plate collodion workshops all over Europe. In between the technical and the fun, I've had my ear, my mind and my heart bent toward the creative spirits I've met along the way. I'm not saying that I gave a lecture or an artist's talk and requested feedback, but rather that I've quietly observed and listened to the words and ideas behind the people in my travels. It's difficult to explain, but there are a lot of passionate people making art out there. We rarely get to see it, it's rarely in galleries and it's never the latest craze (which sickens me anyway). It's usually found in unknown, unpretentious artists that are honest and authentic. Not perfect in anyway, but at least accessible and real. This is the kind of thing that excites me. Knowing that there are people like me, driven to make art and asking questions about ourselves and one another. It's all about narrative for me. Making art that is generative and allows the viewer, if they are present, to wander to explore and ask their own questions – it’s open to reverie.

The poet/writer C.K. Williams said that the poet (artist) has, "the right to vacillate, to wobble, to shillyshally, be indecisive in one's labors, and still not suffer from a sense of being irresponsible, indolent, or weak." It feels good to read that. It's one of my greatest weaknesses, I'm rather insecure as an artist (all artists are, if they are honest). I've done a bit of that "shillyshallying" lately.

My work has taken a nice turn recently. At least I think it's nice. After considering that the Kristallnacht project is almost impossible (read: almost) to complete (time, money and cooperation), I decided that I wanted to blend it with my personal interests and make it less pedantic and more authentic and, in my opinion, interesting. So, I'm blending Kristallnacht, Portraiture Work and both historical and contemporary theories of difference into my images.

My latest incarnations:

Carmen the Putzfrau and Heidelberg Brown Shirt Street

Heildelberg Synagogue Arc (Memorial) and German Man With An Axe