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Supermarket

John Macpherson — Mon, 21 May 2012 06:37:59 +0000

I’ve been threatened with ejection from my local supermarket several times. You may guess which one by the red ‘s’.

They don’t like cameras. Not inside. Nor outside. Especially ones with big long white conspicuous lenses.

Shame really, because I just keep seeing things I want to record. Interesting things.

Like the crow, in their carpark, that can read and knows its place. (“Please stop photographing or leave sir.”)

C for crow. © John MacPherson

Or the starling flock that roosts in their sign. Every winter.

(“You cant use big lenses like that here sir” What way should I use them then? ”You can’t use them at all near our store sir.” Can I use a bigger one then, from further away maybe? ”Please stop photographing or leave sir. Now.”)

S for starlings © John MacPherson

Or the deluge that bombarded the carpark one day.

(“Why are you photographing that car sir?” I’m not, I’m photographing the rain? “You can’t do that here sir.” What? Photograph the rain. “There’s customer’s property, cars, in your picture. We’re responsible for customer’s cars so you can’t do that sir.” Oh ok! Why does that sign over there on the wall say ‘We are not responsible for customer’s cars. You park here at your own risk.’ That seems odd, and dare I say it, even slightly contradictory? “I’m not arguing with you sir, please stop or leave”)

sssssssssssssssssssssss for scottish summer shower © John MacPherson

Or the ice patterns in the shop doorway, on a subzero day.

Because the trolleys were left outside all night in the cold.
And then the morning sun melted the frost from them.
And it drip drip drip drip dripped off the trolleys….everywhere that people took them….
And where the sun was, and the warmth, and the man scattering salt, there was only water left to show their dripping passage.
But in the shop doorway, beneath the rolling wheels and marching feet of shoppers, the shade was bitterchill, and waiting, unsalted……

….for the drip drip drip drip drip dripping to rearrange itself into a frostflower confection of cool blue.

It was gone in a short time.

eff for eff off, no no no...... f for frost flowers © John MacPherson

So was I.

(“Please stop photographing or leave sir.”)

But I had stopped long enough in the doorway, amidst all the unobservant shoppers, to take my picture.

Some people go because it’s a ‘market’.
I go because it’s ‘super’.

And I have a loyalty card, so its always worth returning………………….

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“The Visual Chemistry of Kony 2012″ BagNewsSalon Webinar, TODAY!!!

duckrabbit — Sun, 20 May 2012 14:28:06 +0000

The blurb is below for todays BagNewsSalon. I think I’ll probably be coming at this differently than any of the other panelists because I’m not sure I agree with the premise of this webinar, that the Kony film ‘back-fired’. Backlash would be a much better word because I am of the opinion that the Kony film was a massive success for Invisible Children (that doesn’t stop me wanting to vomit when watching it.)

The Salon brings together the eyes and voices of the world’s leading photojournalists, visual academics and political and cultural observers (and duckrabbit) to analyze a current topic in visual politics in a 90 minute on-line webinar.

“The Visual Chemistry of Kony 2012” will look at how visual campaigns backfire in their success. What about Kony 2012 made it sticky visually? How did these images fuel viral compassion that was detached from facts? How do images like the one by Glenna Gordon trouble the narrative from within?

(photo credit: Glenna Gordon)

Here are the details:

Date: Sunday May 20th

Time: 10 am PST/1 pm EST/6pm GMT (running for 90 minutes)

Title: The Visual Chemistry of Kony 2012: When Viral Visuals Backfire

Where: http://bit.ly/BagNewsSalon (We’ll be holding the talk on the Open-i platform, hosted by the London School of Communications, via live audio. Below, you’ll find additional info on how it works.)

Hope you can join us!

Michael

BagNewsNotes

“The banter’s tremendous, the language is horrendous”

David White — Sat, 19 May 2012 09:34:30 +0000

Claudia Leisinger telling us a tale of the demise of the Billingsgate fish porters.

“In January 2012, the City of London Corporation – effectively an independent governing institution – withdrew all trading licences from the porters, revoking a bylaw dating back to 1876. Without this protection, the porters could legally be replaced by cheap casual labour.

The LFMA (London Fish Merchants Association) has been trying to change the porters’ working conditions from a collective agreement (which gives them collective protection) to an individual contract and has found a powerful aid in the City of London Corporation, who is currently making the funds (£2.5 million) available to the merchants to buy out the porters.

The question is, what is the motivation to so determinedly get rid of 102 working men?”

Thanks for educating me Claudia.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Hinterlands scholarship goes to…

Peter — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:29:37 +0000

We had some fantastic entries for the scholarship place on this year’s Hinterlands workshop – very many thanks to all of you who took the trouble to send us your work. This year’s place will go to Christian Petersen. Check out his work HERE.

Congratulations Christian – we’ll look forward to seeing you on the 28 May in the Blackdown Hills.

Music night in Klaksvic by Christian Petersen

“Karma is the only justice”

David White — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:43:31 +0000

Dan Cainey has something to share:

“The work asks what it means to be a Tamil refugee, and identifies these diasporas as a form of resistance against the ongoing erosion of the Tamil ethnicity back in Sri Lanka”:

Take a few minutes to read this, thanks.

Open publication - Free publishing - More community

Thanks Dan.

#FF Funky Friday

David White — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:32:05 +0000

Well well well. You will be after listening to this:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Water. Magic.

John Macpherson — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:01:31 +0000

I like water. Water is amazing stuff.

I stood on this beach, a gentle slope, and watched fresh water from a little stream fan out across the sand.

To help it show me it’s tricks I stood in the water, facing the sun, letting sheen and glare polish its act.

It rippled and bubbled and moved and swayed around me and gradually formed itself into a wispy tendril-waving liquid creature that tickled it’s way over the sand to the sea.

Sometimes it was like a hand, sometimes it was like a plant.

But it was never like water.

Until it came over the rim of my shoe and soaked my foot.

Every sixty seconds in Africa

duckrabbit — Fri, 18 May 2012 08:33:23 +0000

‘Why are you making photographs?’

duckrabbit — Fri, 18 May 2012 07:55:44 +0000

‘I think there’s value in pursuing work that doesn’t aim for commercial value or validation in the fine art photography world.

I’m trying to avoid being overly cynical but it really seems that these days there’s an unhealthy obsession with the economics of photography and status within the community (whichever community you find yourself in). It just seems like too many people are motivated by either economics or receiving validation from the right people. The internet exacerbates this problem because the currency on the web is attention and recognition. It’s not exactly the best medium for contemplation.

For me though, I’m really interested in motivation, passion and dedication. Why are you making photographs? What are you thinking about? I find that many people can’t answer these questions. It’s hard, I know but at some point you need to be able to do it.’ (Two hands clapping for full post by Bryan Formhals on LPV Magazine)

Diet VII Up

duckrabbit — Thu, 17 May 2012 22:29:13 +0000

Wow, what a steal, for just $1500 you can buy dinner and a night out in Soho with VII’s Jocelyn Bain Hogg!

Worth checking the small print on the emphas:is website (its a reward on his project) cause it looks like you may need to bring your own food and wine.

Spotted this first here on HOT UK DEALS. (do go there and read the post)

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