unwritten borders: 10.2009

10.25.2009

As I walked into the Modshop gallery I was firstly greeted by some architecturally ravenous furniture, enthralled I took a seat in the slinky chair only to whirl around and be met with an immense, masculine, color print of someone else’s home from the inside looking out. Outside there were scattered people looking as though they were all on their own secret mission; hunting for bargains, in search of another mans trash to become their own treasure. With a tilted head I look again, these are not just scattered people after all, they are all looking for something to call their own, but they have even more in common. On top of almost every head in the crowd is a black sort of hat; coupled with the beard and the hair, instantly the Amish culture pops into my mind. But why are all these Amish gathered at this one place, this particular home, sorting through valuables on this side lawn?
I have entered this new little gallery in downtown Dallas, I only know of it from some UNT graduate friends who have recently finished their MFA and now are showing at this site. Three graduates are showing, Julie Barnofski, Angela Patterson, and Tom Leininger. I’m interested in Tom’s work mainly because it was what I was first confronted with when I walked into the gallery, and because I have heard mish mesh of stories and information about this one artist in particular. I wanted to see if his work matched his description by other people. All I knew about Tom before walking into this gallery was that he was a straight shooter, no B.S. kind of guy. I knew he did documentary type work and that he was a former hard-ass graduate student from UNT, who made critique brutal for his peers.

Interested in where this view from this house would take me I continued down the gallery wall. However, the photographs that follow left my questions unanswered, more interior shots of this mysterious person’s home. Some worn down calendar strung up on a dirty wall, a remnant left behind on the stained carpet of the left over house, and one Amish man hauling a pile of treasure away so great, he needed a forklift. The prints are easy to look at, they are a large 44’ scale and the subject matter is always straight on, much like many documentary pieces -much like I have heard about this artist- except I cannot make out what exactly is being documented. Is it about the cleaning of this house, or maybe the Amish culture? Maybe that is not an important question, but when I hear “documentary photographer” I think the importance of the photographs subject matter is vital.
This is when my background knowledge is referenced, I know Tom’s family is connected to the heritage; and as he says when one Amish member dies their house is cleaned out and auctioned to the community, as in Tom’s pictures of his grandmother’s home. I think without this prior knowledge I would be a little lost in his work shown at the gallery.

Tom’s photographs do display a clean straight shot, but I think that there are some pitfalls through his work. Walking through the gallery his work does stand out because it is large, but that I do not think is always effective. These images are so private and they are just displayed in a large informal manner. I also think that there is some details missing in the pictures themselves, some of them have a single focus spot and then it falls off. This usually looks o.k. but does not match the straightforward manner he is shooting in; for example the photograph of a vintage wallpapered wall, an opening to a bathroom with a light on, and Jesus’ portrait next to the bathroom door, nothing is in focus except the vintage wall. Almost everything in this picture is on the same plain, but why did he choose to focus there? This type of “tunnel” focusing makes the photograph seem to be more about that wallpaper, than the emptiness of this gutted house. I also have to question whether or not the full explanation of this event is captured here in these five shots? If I knew nothing about the artist before hand I think I would leave unfulfilled about the event I just witnessed, I think the audience would like to see more shots. If this documentary is about the auction of the artifacts in this home, it is just as equally important to display these Mennonite individuals with their pieces or bidding on pieces. Printing more intimate might allow the artist to show more shots, and more pieces of this story. I know it is the obligation of the artist to edit what they want to show to the audience, but as a documentary photographer it is also their duty to show the full story portrayed accurately; which brings up another discussion about the reality of documentary photography, (which is a large topic for discussion at a later time).

There is always going to be a difference in the viewers translation of the artist work, but overall I think a stranger to this artist one would be curious in not only seeing more images, but possibly seeing them shot more meticulously than just a 35mm negative. In my opinion, documentary is clean, straight shots, but the tiny details captured in the image are the most important. I would have liked to see this work done with a larger format, to really convey this crisp, detailed images he is trying to attain. In this event seeing Tom Leininger’s work I can say that I was interested, but left unsatisfied.

10.24.2009

in the window light

come to me
watch the shadows fall against my skin
watch the highlights flare
merging, blurring, from within
watch me
capture yourself within a stare.
follow the trails of shoulders and backs
tend the cheeks and peaks
fill the voids from where you lack

10.15.2009

Grey Skies Bring Grey Rains

Spent a long needed weekend with my boyfriend and friends. some interesting things are always happening in Dallas/Denton.
Spent saturday night at a new little gallery close to downtown Dallas called ModShop. it was a neat little gallery with some awesome art!...then after some wine with some really good conversation. It was so different being in Denton all week, it really is a place that i would like to be, it just feels right already. I know that for a while I will finally be happy to be stuck in one place.
The trip was long but my friends Micayla and Kevin took me on the alternative route. Very good. so pretty (besides the lack of sun); when i got back to Lubbock i was so happy to see the sun for the first time in four days! its so hard to tell time without the sun. Micayla and Kevin are just like me, in that they love to travel and go on road trips. Planning one for the summer maybe after i graduate; Mick and I share the love of eating in the car; she told me when she was young she would pack her lunch and go eat it in the car in the drive way. this really made me laugh.
On a serious note, sunday I lost a friend from back home. I found out monday morning and the horrific details surrounding his death came throughout the day. As soon as i saw his facebook post i broke down into tears. Im really not sure why it made me cry so hard. He wasnt a BEST friend or family, just a friend i would see occasionally in Cypress, and if i was hanging out with the right friends. Maybe it was because he was a best friend of my best friend and i knew that it was going to upset him a lot, not to mention that he is "out of touch" serving in Afghanistan for the next several months. How long would it take for him to find out? Or maybe just the fact that he was my age, my age, really young and the circumstances could have been prevented so easily, he was so smart, smarter than most, with so much potential and so much promise....how could he die from something so unitelligent? i dont know but i know that for some reason its really haunting me. when i got back from Denton and got back to sleeping in a bed alone i couldnt, i could barely sleep the nights before with Irby and now it was way worse without him. I spent a lot of time tossing and had to eventually turn on my side lamp jsut to get some peace. And last night i had a dream that i saw my best friend David and i told him, and he told me he knew, his mom had told him over the phone and that he couldnt believe it happened, and happened while he was gone.
Michael's funeral is being held tomorrow in Spring, i really wish i could attend.
Its unfortunate, but when faced with death i know that it is important to remember the good and great things in life. Not only in the life of that person, but in your own life as well.

-Michael your life was taken too soon.

10.10.2009

map it

ugh its ealry morning blog, i cant believe how freaking cold it is here. we are trying to save money with no electricity, but man last night i slept in two pairs of sweat pants, a tank, a thermal and a hoodie with socks....was still cold.....thank god for the dog haha my own personal space heater
this morning after some blog hoppin, some lucky charms, and some chai tea, i am off to Denton again. some friends were heading that way and offered me to join, id do anything to get out of here...even if its just for one day...anyways, should be fun. taking the sony and the holga with, hopefully i can shoot some. Julie also has a MFA show tonight in Dallas...some gallery....2000 or 2010 or something like that, should be interesting, havent ever seen most of her body of work in person. ohhh and first time to leavemy pup home alone...i hope this goes well....god...shes like my child... im sure shes in good hands with my roomate. :( but i have more news later, next time i blog ill be in Dallas!!!

10.09.2009

el fin

so i FINALLY finsished a pillow project for my own bed that i started a few weeks ago. Btwn everything it has taken so long to complete,but i bought these awesome cloth napkins at world market for about $2 each and i finally sewed them into some pillows....i also finished my first portiable drive case and some pottery this weekend, got to get the vase and cup glazed. Which speaking of, if you dont already know....soon, hopefully in the next month i am going to start my own store on Etsy.com...really cool site and if you want to add me my user name is Artsy999, same user name for Lomography.com/homes!

Denton Trip

So a few weeks ago i went to visit my boyfriend who is a grad student at UNT, we were thinking of things to do....ahh the state fair, what could be better. A interesting mix of people to say the least but it was fun. plus I got to ride the biggest ferris wheel in the western hemisphere, and that is all i cared about.