Shoah

I've watched a lot of films and read a lot of books about the Holocaust, or Shoah, over the years. However, I hadn't seen, "Shoah" by Claude Lanzmann. I want to travel to some of these places, especially Auschwitz-Birkenau, Chełmno, Sorbibor and Treblinka, and do some work for my project.

If you haven't seen it, you should - here's an overview:

Claude Lanzmann directed this 9 1/2 hour documentary of the Holocaust without using a single frame of archive footage. He interviews survivors, witnesses, and ex-Nazis (whom he had to film secretly since though only agreed to be interviewed by audio). His style of interviewing by asking for the most minute details is effective at adding up these details to give a horrifying portrait of the events of Nazi genocide. He also shows, or rather lets some of his subjects themselves show, that the anti-Semitism that caused 6 million Jews to die in the Holocaust is still alive in well in many people that still live in Germany, Poland, and elsewhere.

"Shoah" by Claude Lanzmann

A good perspective on the camps, locations and where I live (red box).

Boerdonk, The Netherlands

It's always nice to return to a place where you've been. We just spent three days in Boerdonk, The Netherlands. I went back to do another wet plate collodion workshop. We were there last October doing a workshop.

"Look right here, Ger"

We stayed at "The Miracle" hotel/bb. Ger and Jan Coppens own it and run it. It's not what you think - they don't advertise, or have regular hours - you almost have to be invited by someone they know - not that it's elite or exclusive, it's just that they run their business in a different way. Jeroen, the workshop coordinator set us up with Ger and Jan. The rooms are nice, the Dutch breakfast, made by Ger is tasty and the little dog, Lennon, is cute and loving. We sat around in the evening and drank Westmalle (Trappist) beer from the tap and told stories - it's too involved to go into here, but Ger told some very funny stories about people who had stayed in the hotel or came into the cafe to drink - "Dickemeat" and "Zombie" - my personal notes for future reference. 

Jan and Ger - Whole Plate Black Glass AmbrotypesWe did portraits of the Ger and Jan. They really liked the images and appreciated the process. I'm going to do a still life of a Westmalle bottle and glass and give to them for their bar/cafe. "Ger" - Whole Plate Balck Glass Ambrotype

Jeroen and his parents had us over for dinner Saturday night at their house. They have a beautiful home and are wonderful people. They fixed Dutch mussels and Portuguese chicken. We drank three bottles of wine and talked about life, art and politics. Another wonderful time.

I had six great people in the workshop. As always, they did a terrific job. I've posted some photographs here they already emailed me - Sanne (from Belgium) and Willie Jan. I'll post more (from the workshop) when I get them.

It's a little bit frustrating trying to write about these experiences. I don't know how they translate, but I know it doesn't even come close to the experience.  

Drizzle that Collodion Home Dog!
Workshop Students (and me) - Veghel, The Netherlands (Pieter Brughel Art School) 

Gonzo: Hunter S. Thompson

If you like Hunter S. Thompson, or even if you don't, you should check out this documentary - Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson.

I agree with the sentiments that he could have influenced the discourse today and would have been very happy to see President Barack Obama.

The illustrations by Ralph Steadman have always been associated (for me) with Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas. They are incredible pieces of work that compliment Thompson's writing and philosophy so well.

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson

Wet Plate Collodion in Brussels, Belgium

I did a demonstration/performance (that's what I call them) for a group of photo artists, collectors and friends in Brussels, Belgium Saturday. My friend, Carl Fransman (lives in Brussels and organizes all things photo related), sent me some great photos from yesterday's shoot/demo/performance - thanks Carl! All photos by Carl Fransman.

Quinn explains the "tastiness" of ripe Collodion. 
Bright eyed and bushy tailed - that's Quinn in his darkbox.

The preparations begin in the darkbox.
Cleaning the plate.
Pouring, or flowing the plate, with the aforementioned "tasty" Collodion.
Quinn acting like a magician, trying to keep the "tastiness" on the glass.
Draining the tastiness. The gentleman behind me has one of the most exquisite 19th century camera/photo collections in Europe - he owns two, yes, two Dubronis. We've been invited to his home for dinner and to see his collection! 
The first plate - 8x10 Black Glass Ambrotype (not fixed yet) - a group of photo artist/collectors from Brussels. 
The second plate - a Whole Plate Alumitype - varnishing the plate. 
The portrait of the Belgian Artists (and Quinn) is varnished! 
The Belgian Artists (and Quinn)! Near the Grand Sablon, Brussels - February 7, 2009 

Brussels, Belgium

 Grand Sablon - Brussels , BelgiumWe just returned from a few days in Brussels. It's one of those cities you might not think to visit when in Europe, but really surprises you when you do - it's a gem! If you have any interest in chocolate, food, beer, waffles, art and history, (in any order) put it on your list.

We stayed at the Phileas Fogg (yes, Around The World In Eighty Days, that guy) - we had a "communal European" experience. It's located in the center of the city and was recommend by a friend in Brussels.

Jeanne spent Friday in a meeting (one of the reasons we went to Brussels) while Summer and I wandered the city. We visited a few places, but mostly just walked for hours through the city. We sat in cafes and talked with people. There was a writer from Manhattan named Debra we got to know. Her friends showed up too - Belgian and American - but they've all lived in Brussels for decades. It's like a scene from a movie, talking art and politics in a cafe in Europe. Great stuff! In the late afternoon, we ended up in the center of Brussels at the "Grand-Place". We were treated to dinner at the Rosa Blanche in the heart of the square. The food in Brussels is, without doubt, some of the best we've ever had in Europe - this was no exception.  

"One of the most beautiful town squares in Europe, if not in the world", is a phrase often heard when visitors in  Brussels try to describe the beauty of the central market square. French-speakers refer to it as the 'Grand-Place', whereas in Dutch it is called 'de grote Markt'. The tourists of the 21th century are not alone in their admiration . Archduchess Isabella, daughter of Filip II of Spain wrote about the square during her visit to Brussels on September the 5th 1599:  "Never have I seen something so beautiful and exquisite as the town square of the city where the town hall rises up into the sky. The decoration of the houses is most remarkable".

Oh yes! The waffles - how can you not indulge? Foodies?Writers like Victor Hugo and Charles Baudelaire were also struck by the charm of the market square with its beautiful set of Guild houses dominated by the Town hall and the King's house.

The origins of the Grand-Place, however, are humble. The site still formed a sand-bank between two brooks which ran downhill to the river Senne. Once the sand-bank was reclaimed it turned into the "Niedermerckt", or 'lower market'. Already in the 12th century Brussels had become a commercial crossroads between Bruges (in Flanders) , Cologne, Germany , and France. English wool, French wines and German beer were sold in the harbor and on the  market.

We ate at a place called, "The Ultimate Hallucination (De Ultime Hallucinatie)" Thursday night. We had an appetizer of fried croquettes with North Sea Shrimp (traditional Belgium shrimp croquettes are made with North Sea shrimp, called brown shrimp — small, and very flavorful, and not readily available in the United States) and cheese - they served it with arugula covered with olive oil and vinegar - wow! I've never experienced such a wonderful taste/experience! I had the "Mussels from Brussels Casserole - it was ~20 of the best mussels I've ever tasted, boiled with stocks of celery. Jeanne had a steak with béarnaise sauce and Summer had North Sea Shrimp and a potato. We fell in love with the Trappist beers, too - Wellemalle Triple, Chimay, Rochefort and many others. The beer is the best in world.

A little boy pissing in a fountain - cool! At first glance, you'd think (the image above - brass figure) is sculpture of Jesus. It's not, it's Everard 't Serclaes - you can read about it here. I was asking (just like an 'Ugly American') if Jesus really had a dog. I wished we would have video taped some of the reactions. Then it was onto the Manneken Pis (little peeing boy) statue - The question I asked, "Why is the baby Jesus peeing?" It was awesome. Like, "Ugly American Goes Candid Camera On Brussels" - yummy! We got a kitsch piece of the Manneken Pis - it's a small statue and his penis is a cork screw.

Chocolate - need I say more? We met with Carl and friends on Saturday. There's a group of artists and collectors (photography aficionados) that meet every Saturday morning at the Café Leffe, near the Grand Sablon. We joined them Saturday. We had coffee and talked. Then, we went down a side street and I set up my dark-box and made plates for a couple of hours. It was great to do this for such an intense and interested group of people. I made two group portraits and one plate of a sculpture. I'll post some photos when Carl sends them (we were busy making plates, didn't get any snaps).

We ended our trip with a stop for some chocolate, waffles and beer. We're home now, and we'll savor every sip and every bite. We had a wonderful time and made some great memories.  It was a 3.5 hour drive home and we drove in three countries - Belgium, The Netherlands, and Germany.

Brussels has some of the best chocolate in Europe!

Rub it for good luck - yeah, I believe in that kind of stuff, sure.