... one of the bonuses of walking round the neighborhood is that one has a good chance to look, and look, at the houses up and down the local streets. This one was for sale relatively recently - I'd always coveted it from the outside, but the realtor's photos showed - well, if ever there was a house with too much fancy tile work in it, this is it. I never thought I'd think that there could be Too Much Tile, but I realize that I was unimaginative in that respect.
I presume from Lady Eastlake this is the Kate Flint who was seen sketching at the 1976 Edinburgh fringe.Events prove that the best thing for Cuba is to keep as far out of the USA's orbit as possible. Already important nature reserves are threatened by US developments and pandering to rich consumerism. Your blog started as a response to writing and photography. There are strong, gutsy photographers who have ideas to get across. Same with writers. Some combine both. Usually you need some strong narrative, theme, event to inspire. With photography you need to be working in the medium's traditions, influenced by great practitioners, using its means (choice of camera, exploring print making techniques, etc.etc.) Writing, too, needs to be filled with passion for a theme or event or concern. Unfortunately taking a photograph each day as the motivation becomes ultimately as vacuous as the idea behind it. I suppose as a record of a very comfortable life style it might have a use for future social historians. However the search for something to say seems to lead to a bland, somewhat one dimensional prose. There seems no passion or edge to it. Maybe time to reassess. Look at Edward Weston or Margaret Bourke White. Go off to New Mexixo and find a great ceramicist and do a reportage. You have a good eye and merit a fabulous Leica SLR. Get involved with some concerned photographers and writers. Certainly the twee and suburban day to day should be avoided. Good luck ! A concerned Brit.
ReplyDeletethanks for your thoughts - and if this was my only, or primary, or even tertiary project - yes, I couldn't agree with you more. But as someone with a full-time (other) job; who isn't teaching photography right now, as I was when I started the blog; and who does it, at the moment, largely as a means of giving myself a break, and keeping in touch with friends for five minutes a day - well, it's a habit - yes, maybe a lazy habit both verbally and, often, visually - but one that gives me a small amount of pleasure, and keeps my eye in, if non-experimentally so. So - if you find it shallow and fatuous, so be it - and so don't bother looking at it! I wish I had much more time to devote to creating, but, right now, I don't. (And also, in case you hadn't noticed, traveling is kind of tricky in these times ...).
ReplyDeleteFair enough. I'm glad it gives you pleasure. I guess personal creativity is a difficult and slightly problematic area for academics. You, as I know, are absolutely brilliant and knowledgeable about (especially) literature, and of course nineteenth century art. I'd travel continents for your thoughts on Shakespeare, and know you are sans pareil on mid Victorian writers and artists and publications. Ruskin ... Inspirational Kate Flint ! We all have have our predilections. Trouble with doing writing and photography that relates to the modern world is that really we link in to the current dialogues. My jaw dropped when in London you stated you did not like or understand modern art. Whether that was just the abstract piece you were looking at or in general I do not know. Does that include someone as benign as David Hockney. Do you not like gutsy, sometimes disturbing work - Francis Bacon, say. An artist's work, as you, an art history professor, know only too well, is a product of personality with historical circumstances and trends, technology, ideas etc. but particularly the developed personality. Simon Schama is superb on Rembrandt.
ReplyDeleteAs for the blog,though, you can't really have it both ways. A bit of personal pleasure and contact with friends. Or the serious 'pedagogy', 'drawing on the relationship between photography, memory and association' talked of in your intro.. ...
I do realize we are pretty limited at the moment with Covid 19 and I take your point about not travelling. And I apologize for my somewhat critical thoughts at this time. I really wish you to keep safe and be safe with your friends and send you my heartfelt best wishes there. As for this project - the loneliness of the long distance runner - TEN YEARS, a photograph a day ! You must feel like that poor athlete who stumbled towards the marathon finishing line in the Olympics. When you say you are going to do something, you certainly do it. As for the blog, there are many good bits I am sure - especially when you are nosing around the areas you are so superbly knowledgeable about. I noted your worries about some Californians not taking this seriously. It was like that here until a few weeks ago. Now people avoid each other like the plague.
ouch - I was certainly an idiot 40+ years ago!! Who knows what other inane assertions I made then ... And speaking of the passing of time, probably an update of the blog description is way overdue, too ... Stay safe: these are indeed scary times.
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