I can't really say much about the final result of my work except that it has really only come about as i have developed my thoughts on spirituality. I named this blog a Zen blog because I thought the layout was very minimalist and open to change. As i have gone through class my thoughts have changed, and in a way acted as zen wave moving back and forth. My photography thus tried to find this sense of balance, return, and transcendence that i felt through exploring the world in my own spiritual journey. I used low angles and adjusted my aperture for every shot.  These are also the photographs before i brought them into photoshop and up'd the saturation (cause my spirit likes color).  My favorite photo if the one with the butterfly atop the small lily leaves.  It says so much about the diversity of our world in such a tiny resounding way.  Anyways without further adieu here are my photographs and i hope you enjoy.

My Influence: Atta Kim

Creating a spiritual connection through photography involves knowledge of human philosophy, an acknowledgement of time, and the skills to utilize both these elements to synthesize a powerful singular moment that is resonant with audiences. Atta Kim’s work, through the present, shows a deliberation over the condition of being human from a uniquely eastern perspective. His dissection of philosophy portrays the search to a find the universal truth of human consciousness, preservation of the human body, and the search for the spirit that dwells within our physical constructions. Atta Kim’s artistic sojourn through these themes has created photographs that turn cities, streets, temples, and forests into exhibition spaces riddled with significant gravity. Although, Atta Kim has a myriad of exhibitions and galleries that embody these themes, this research paper will explore “The Museum Project” (1995-2002), and “ON-AIR” (2002- Present). This research paper aims to examine Atta Kim’s aforementioned projects to identify the extent to which his work pushes eastern philosophy, in specific Zen Buddhism, the themes of permanence in the bodies of humankind, and transience into a world without.

“The Museum Project” is an immense collection of work that represents a very personal exploration through the collection of humans in humanity. Commenting on this series Atta Kim stated in an interview with The Morning News, “The Museum Project is about creating my own private museum that displays very basic human elements—basic violence, sex, and ideology, etc.—in a clear glass box. Thus, if the museum is a place where the dead live forever, my museum is a place that lives forever with what is already alive.”(Pasulka). This element of the transparent acrylic box is interesting in that it both isolates and presents humanity within it. The Korean Times stated, “Their vulnerability is obvious in these situations, but because Kim treats these tableaux dispassionately the people in these photographs are a bit like furniture, more odd than disturbing.” There is definitely a thread of thought that would see this as alienation, but thinking about the device in relation to Atta Kim’s usage we get this symbol of preservation, and exposure.

The people within the glass boxes are alive and experiencing life, experiencing gravity and the pressure of acrylic transparency against their skin. Atta Kim even stated that to prepare for this project he would put himself in the box, “There is no separation between artist and model. I put myself inside the boxes and hang myself upside down before I shoot. My experience from the box is that these glass boxes are a big, dominating power.”(Pasulka). This “dominating” power I imagine is from the feeling of obscurity felt within a clear box, a kind of claustrophobia that emphasizes ones current existence. Lastly the fact that the people within the boxes are alive creates this emotion of dormancy, life captured, or life waiting to be released. The Korean Herald commented on the use of the acrylic installations as a way, “to dismantle the framework of social stereotypes to seize a true sense of liberty.” (Yong-shik). The exposure of the bodies reveal the meekness of reality, a reality that we are in control of, pushing the viewers to search for a way out of the “Museum” of history.
Despite what the roles of the bodies are within the photos, “the human body is still a vehicle of expression…”(Korean Herald). One sub-series within the project was titled “Nirvana,” capturing nude Buddhist Monks and Nuns in their daily rituals. The Buddhist monastery allowed for Atta Kim to proceed with this project because Atta Kim wanted to depict the purity of the Buddhist monks through the image of bare skin. Some of these utilize the glass box but others are simply styled in meditating positions with ritualistic mudras (hand symbols).

Another series titled “Salvation” depicted naked individuals tied to a cross with an IV in their arm, to show the relationship between blood and flesh in the Christian religion. Emotions of religion and the meaning of existence are put forth in these two series, showing a polarity between eastern and western philosophies, sacrifice in contrast to the search for enlightenment. (Harvis). However this part of the series was criticized as being a little “kitsch” by the New York Times, who criticized where Kim was going with these theatrical depictions. (Cotter). The naked bodies of the Buddhist monks however created a play between the sexual and the pure, where bodies that portray sex appear without an overriding gender.

Having dealt with the reality of people Atta Kim began to take on more prominent Buddhist ideologies in his next project ON-AIR. The series is renowned for Atta Kims usage of camera technology to capture time in a photo, David Grosz of the New York Sun commented on the project saying, “Either the [photos] are extended exposures that track the movement and disappearance of objects, or else they are composite images in which individuals are subsumed into a larger collective.”(Gorsz). The work seeks to eliminate/create images that depict the emptiness of reality, and the representation of human kind as a singular entity. In New York Atta Kim took eight hour shots, using a large format 8x10 Camera, of Times Square, Midtown Manhattan, Fifth Avenue, The Modern Museum of Art, Grand Central Station, and Park Avenue. These long exposures would also happen in France, China and Korea. In an introspective analysis the New York Sun stated, “In this haunting image, endurance and stillness become the very opposite of life, while evanescence and immateriality define the human condition.”

These long exposures captured the stillness of the structures in the cities but erased any tangible trace of humanity. One of the shots Kim wanted to take took seven years to get permission, the subject of the shot being the Demilitarized Zone between North Korea and South Korea. A place where there are always soldiers staring at each other from across the border, was captured in a photograph portraying peaceful stillness, “There are over 100,000 soldiers from South and North Korea facing each other across the DMZ line. Yet, the DMZ itself looks more peaceful than anywhere in this world.” (Pasulka).

The New York Times even stated that this picture was the “strongest” out of the series and yet the emptiest. Atta Kim took an hour long shot of a couple having sex which came out looking like a luminous ball of light, "Every individual is a big energy ball with great potential. You can't imagine how great each one of us is. It simply depends on how much you can express what you've got."(Korean Herald). Atta Kims words and technique in this photo results in a feeling of importance as an individual and as an element of energy on this earth.
In the 8 hour city collections, the emptiness in the photos depict the impermanence of life and links with the transcendent nature of Buddhism, showing the illusion of time in our reality. The blank cities and the wisps of color that remain prove that in time there is no time, and that reality is subjective to our experience. Another set of photos that Atta Kim took in this series focused on the interconnectedness of all things, relating to the Buddhist concept that in the end we all are one. By over laying images of 100 different Korean men Atta Kim created a portrait of the Korean man. This series of work however intricately placed within the spectrum of Buddhist unity, was criticized for being “gimmicky” by the New York Sun, "ON-AIR Project: The Last Supper" (2003), for example, uses composite portraits to make the trite observation that there's a bit of Jesus and a bit of Judas in each of us.”(Gorsz). Atta Kim has gone on to do this process with men of millions of different ethnicities and even with places. In the series titled “Indallah” Atta Kim combined 10,000 photos of every major city in the world and merged them all together. The image came out as a grey mesh which Atta commented on saying, “the void is not emptiness, but is actually everything.”(Korean Herald). This image creates communication with Buddhist notions of the one universe, which is in relation to the idea of one identity, combined becoming simple just the concept of completion as one whole.
Another part of this work involved the documentation of ice melting through both a series of shots and long exposures; this series was titled “Monologue of Ice.” The documentation of the ice melting and the segments of time create this sense of the elimination of all things, and the return of all things to a malleable element. Atta Kim created an ice figure of Chairman Mao and photographed the ice figure until it became a smooth thinning sphere balancing on a thin neck of ice. This process has been repeated but with models of the Eygptian Pyramids, the Qin Dynasty terracotta army, and the Greek Parthenon. Each melting ice figures represents the passing of humanities creations, and baits the audience into both the horror of the destruction of mankind’s achievements, and lulls acceptance of extinction, through the calm of water. In New York, Atta Kim held an event where an ice Buddha was created and allowed to be seen, and touched, by the public as it slowly melted away. Atta Kim stated, “Human beings disappear in a moment, but you can't see it happen. Ice also disappears in a moment, but at a speed we can observe.”(Akers). Atta Kim uses ice as a metaphor for the way in which eastern philosophies approach death as a return and transcendence. The water that is left over evaporates into our environment harkening Buddhism, achieving enlightenment and returning to the one.
Atta Kim has been working as an artistic photographer since the 1980’s having completed 17 solo exhibitions and over 60 group exhibitions. The introduction of eastern concepts through photograph is a powerful tool that postures thought on the course of humanity and what our place in time is. Atta Kim sought to preserve life, erase life, unite life, and dissolve life through these various works, creating a commentary on the short life span that human beings have on earth and in the scope of the universe.

Andy Grundberg Article Review-Ellen Auerbach Dies at 98

Andy Grundberg analyzes photo galleries, illuminates audiences to arts extravagance, and celebrates the movements of photography in our modern world. His duties to the arts do not stop their as he also has taken it upon himself to celebrate photographers and artists that have left our world.

In this article Andy Grundbery celebrates the life and the work of photographer and artist Ellen Auerbach.
Born in Germany in 1906, Ellen Auerbach's work would take place primarily during the Weimer Period (1929-1933). Partnering with Grete Stern they made a photography shop called Pit & Ringl which sought to redefine the way in which woman were photographed. Andy Grundberg cites there surrealist and constructivist nature, their styles helping to define the artistic era called the New Vision.

Andy Grundberg's article is respectful, and creates an interesting look into the lives of photographers. Many photographers begin photography with a fascination with what they could capture, that being certain subjects that circulate around their lives. Ellen Auerbach wanted to make a living (after seeing no money in sculpture) and took photographs in germany up until Hitler's rise to power when she moved to Tel Aviv. She would later open up a childrens portrait shop there, and also get married. Ellen was fascinated with the psychology of children, which makes me think about the way in which photography functions to preserve its subject. A photograph of a child can be naive, and pure, while also being devious and full of moxie, that feeling of "newness" to the world so interesting a subject.

So the other day i confused myself with photos by Lewis Hine and Dorothea Lange.

I think might have even stated "Migrant Mother as well know was made by Lewis Hine. Which is pretty much a standard in photography."

And so here i contemplate the photography that both photographers put together.

There work is so strong. Embodying a moment in American consciousness, and in all cases being moments that American History isn't too proud of, yet at the same time both being moments that American History is proud to have lived through and learned from.

The work that Donald E. Camp has on display on the third floor of the Berman at Ursinus College is a cultural vision captured in natural composition. The casein and earth pigment combined with the high degree of detail that comes with close up portrait photography resonant a part of American culture that little is said about. The work was started in 1993 to record the identity of the African American male, but goes even further to convey the struggle against intolerance and ignorance.
When walking around the exhibition, the degree of work that went into each photograph is evident. Each photograph has marks where the pigment was applied and areas that show the use of the casein, just enough to even make one think that these photographs are paintings. Along with each of the photographs is a small line about the individual in the picture and then their name. Some describe the individual’s occupation and passion in life while others are more telling about the photographer. The picture I chose to analyze was titled “Brother Who Taught Me to Ride a Bicycle/James Camp.”
The photograph is bold, the dark shades of James Camp’s face is lit by light coming from above his head to the left. This light travels across his face lighting up the ridge of his nose and the high points of both his cheeks and a small wisp of his chin. The outline of the jaw disappears into the white casein on the left where the light is coming down, contrasting greatly with the bottom right corner where we are lead along the dark layers of the man’s chin. The grey tones lead your eye away from the dark features on the right of his face back through the areas of white on the left and then back to the dark areas again. The brow of James Camp is strong and darkens his eyes since the light is coming from above his head, however just enough light escapes under his brow to light up the tips of his lower eye lids. This light also slightly lights up his dark eyes, not enough to define the pupils or the iris but enough to create an elusive resonant darkness. The eyes seem limitless and full of wisdom and experience. Under the brightly lit nose bridge are the dark nostrils that lead us to the skin texture to the left and right of the lips, slightly bumpy and glossy in the light. The white hairs upon the lip then draw attention affirming the gentleman’s age, and giving robust character to the photo. The casein that’s rolled in to create the photo is seen it in its rough strokes, giving away from the detail of the man’s face to small rough flecks of pigment at the top of the picture. The pigment also is scattered in droplets around the photo, the natural movement and creation of this photo grave evident in its rough exterior.
Donald E. Camp took photos of the people around him that he must have respected and admired in creating this exhibition, and this photo is definitely no exception to that feeling. Where this photo has strong emotions of depth and experience it becomes something else when reading the photo’s title. This photo represents brotherhood and esteem, the title takes us into our own pasts and reminds us of our first time riding a bicycle. The age that the man portrays in the photo and the deep eyes and experience shown in the bold facial features, contrasts greatly to that memory of freedom that comes from riding a bike, and shows us the richness of a lifetime. That aspect of respect for those that have taught us about freedom and movement, is captured in this picture, and the dark contemplating brow of the photo reminds us that no matter how old we may get brotherhood lasts forever. The African American male is thus shown to be more than any static stereotype, by showing the process of time that this individual has gone through by alluding to his time as a child, and our time as children, and the universal feeling of brotherhood and freedom. The tones seen in this photo is a platform for understanding culture similarities and breaking down ignorance.

Journal #4

Donkeys are one of my favorite animals. They push, pull, and work so that we do not have to. I do love the donkey. I took this in the Philippines way back during a family vacation to one of the small islands. I was going through my old photos and saw it and liked it for its use of space. Only remark i'd give past me is to put more donkey in it, cause there is never enough donkey.

Journal #3

One set of work by Robert Frank that i found fascinating were the photos of his wife. She seems to be embodied by this omnipotent stare. That gaze memorization of romance and tacit reality are all captured in her face. Robert franks spectral look on life seems very focused on his wife, capturing a sexy, documentary moment, that really defines Robert Frank as less of a floating eye and more of a resonant human capturing humans.

Journal #2

The lecturer W.J.T Mitchell, who is a Gaylord Donnelley Distinguished Service Professor of English and Art History at the University of Chicago, explained a paradigm that I did not find in the Robert Frank gallery displayed in the Berman Museum of Art.  Mitchell gave us a detailed description of Robert Frank’s beginnings and successfully showed us a drive within Robert Franks photographs that captured his enamor of American culture, his immigrant status in America, and spoke in an ephemeral manner about the spirit of America.   Robert Frank’s creative process with the camera is compared to the functions of a medium within a séance, underlining Robert Frank as an artist whose vision was used as the speaking tool of America culture.  This argument is affective and came across in Mitchell’s look at Robert Frank’s spy versus spy analysis, looking at Frank’s use of “off the hip shots” and the castrating voyeuristic angles of his shots.  This hidden secrecy found in Robert Frank’s photos give the viewer a piercing look at the cultural reality of America at the time.  

Going through The Americans by Robert Frank, Mitchell creates an illuminating analysis of a series of trends and links, which are found between the photographs in regards to the lifeblood of America.  The array of photographs that were used in the presentation helped create a portal into Mitchell’s metaphorical vision-seeking analysis.  This search into the personality of Robert Frank’s photography sends us into the ephemeral state that Mitchell wanted us to see.  This is captured in Frank’s factory photography of assembly lines and skilled laborers, contrasting of Caucasian Americans and African Americans, military, American roads, and American cultural activity.  Mitchell cited these photos as “[not] immediately telling you what you’re seeing,” calling for attention at different angles then one might expect.  One example of this was the Navy Recruitment Coordinator’s photograph, crassly suggesting anti-war sentiment by exposing the recruitment officer’s relaxed freely propped feet.  Looking at the culture of the time, Frank captures Greasers with dark leathers and jukebox meditation gathering in their musical birthright, Jazz and Rock & Roll.  

            Having looked at the exhibit many times in an attempt to create my own analysis and to further my skills as a photographer, these insights greatly changed my perception of Robert Frank’s work.  Where I once saw straightforward anatomical photography crafted with some subject by high intrusiveness singular to itself, I now see an entirety that creates a dense vision of times gone by. Mitchell comments on the segregation found between black and white as a piercing look at American racism, but also looks at it as a message that America is mixing and connecting cultures.  Mitchell stated “the U.S. is portrayed as a homogenous grid that can be allocated through the representation of the roads.” The snap shots of the military, political institutions, postage offices, and people within the city, create an organism of American culture connected by illustrious roads, which reflects the time period.  The castration of figures at the waist, or even full decapitations pushed photography past where it statically resided in straight shots of anatomically correct individuals.  Mitchell says that Frank decapitated his subjects because that’s how he saw himself, sourcing Franks portrait shot of his reflection in a barber shop chair.  Mitchell goes on to characterize Frank as a ghost, “sucking the pink juice of America” through his vision.   

 

This characterization of Frank as an ethereal aspect correlates with the insights made into his use as a medium for American spirit, and by elimination of the medium places Frank as the spirit that is looking at America.                         

city life zen

What makes this photo successful is the awkward displacement of the man amongst the lifeless trees.  We understand by seeing this photo that this man must have been trying to find a discreet place to talk on his cellphone, choosing this gloomy looking zen pebble garden as his place of concealment. The hilarity that is found upon the man suspending his balance on the wood border of the garden brings into play this sense of clear focus on the body and the minds balance, all though thrown off by the dark light tones.  The tree's dancing branches are tendril like and the bareness of them is uncomfortable, making finding pure serenity in this picture difficult.  The blank zen like state of this picture is thus successful in an estranged lifeless gloom.