In the grand scheme of things, the camera has only been around for a short time — the first mass-market camera was made available at the end of the 19th century. Fast-forward to today, and suddenly everyone has a camera in their pocket, each taking (at least) dozens of photographs every day.
This week let’s write about this curious object. On which side of the camera will your subject find him- or herself?
Cynthia Greig, camera, from Life – Size series, 2001. Photograph. www.cynthiagreig.com
Francis Picabia, Here, This Is Stieglitz Here, 1915. Pen, brush and ink, and cut and pasted printed papers on paperboard. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY.
Laurie Simmons, Walking Camera II (Jimmy the Camera), 1987. Photograph. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY.
This week, I’m interested in stories of great escapes. The kind that seem impossible, like those the great Houdini pulled off, or escaping from a two-dimensional existence. Perhaps you’d like to join me? Here are three such escapes to get your pens moving.
Pere Borrell del Caso, Escaping Criticism, 1874. Oil on canvas. Collection Banco de España, Madrid.
“Houdini and the water torture cell,” 1913. From The American Variety Stage: Vaudeville and Popular Entertainment, 1870-1920, Library of Congress.
Bob May, extricate, 2012. Collage. Via flickr.
This past weekend, Wren and I watched two people dear to our hearts get hitched. It happens to be one of several weddings we have on our schedules this year (congratulations, everyone!).
This week’s for the lovers. Feel like writing about a little romance?
Suzuki Harunobu, Young Lovers Walking Together under an Umbrella in a Snow Storm (Crow and Heron), ca. 1769. Woodblock print. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Natasha King, Untitled, 2011. Collage. Via flickr.
Stanley Kubrick, Couple playing footsies on a subway, from Life and Love on the New York City Subway series, 1946. Museum of the City of New York.
Foxes are a playful lot, and if folk tales are to be believed, crafty, too. I’ve already posted an edition featuring my all-time favorite animal; this week is dedicated to its smaller, slyer cousin. Let’s write a foxy piece, shall we?
mina_milk, jump, 2011. Watercolor. Via flickr.
Utagawa Hiroshige, New Year’s Eve Foxfires at the Changing Tree Oji, No. 118, 1857, from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo. Woodblock print.
Hollie Chastain, Punched Tin Dreaming. Mixed media collage. www.holliechastain.com
And, yes, this is what happens when fox meets wolf. (Apologies for the poor quality. Apparently Fox — as in 20th Century Fox, not Mr. Fox — is a stickler for posting clips online. Crafty bastards.)
