CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS OF OUR ‘RECOLLECTION’ PHOTO CONTEST!
We want to thank everyone again for your participation in our Recollection – Reconstructing the Past contest. Your images and stories were wonderful, and we encourage all to enter our upcoming Landscape photo contest opening July 1.
Canaletto was known for his depictions of Venice, Italy. He covered every angle of the city in his canvases. The painting showing here is of the church of San Giacomo di Rialto and the Rialto Market on the right. My photograph, done in the same spot but at a slight lower vantage point, shows what the area currently looks like. It was taken last year.
A photographic interpretation of the painting of Velazquez ‘La Fragua de Vulcano’‘The Forge of Vulcan’ from 1630.
Apollo, in this case Ramon Marti, (1917-2011), visits the forge of Vulcan where his family works preserving their family’s trade from great grandfather time. Three generations in the same studio: Ramon Marti, 94 years old, his son, Valenti, 56 years old, his granchildren Enric and Marc, 20 and 24 years old, and their uncle Jaume, and a coworker Jordi. This work is a reflection on the passage of time and memory and pays homage to the passing on of traditional knowledge and the uncertainty of it’s future.
James Lloyd with “Old Place, New People”
In 1869 the American journalist and photographer William J. Stillman captured a series of images in Athens, this one is: ‘View of the Acropolis from the East.’
The focus of both old and new photographs is the Parthenon, the ancient Temple of Athena that was the center of the Classical Athenian city. While the view has not changed much in 146 years there are some subtle differences. Whereas the Frankish Tower was destroyed (it did not conform to the Classical ideal which the Acropolis otherwise exuded), the Parthenon is now shrouded in scaffolding as part of a meticulous effort to maintain and restore its Classical image.
In 1869 the American journalist and photographer William J. Stillman captured a series of images in Athens, this one is: ‘View of the Acropolis from the East.’
The focus of both old and new photographs is the Parthenon, the ancient Temple of Athena that was the center of the Classical Athenian city. While the view has not changed much in 146 years there are some subtle differences. Whereas the Frankish Tower was destroyed (it did not conform to the Classical ideal which the Acropolis otherwise exuded), the Parthenon is now shrouded in scaffolding as part of a meticulous effort to maintain and restore its Classical image.
Reflecting upon Greece's past and present, this photograph asks questions about the future of such an iconic site. The modern age has welcomed waves of tourists who now adorn the once empty slopes. While in 1869 Stillman could photograph an empty site and wonder freely around it that is no longer possible. What is the cost of such globalization; what effect do New People have on such an Old Place?
Kira Morris with “Portrait of an Antarctic Winterover”
While this may not be an exact replication of the most famous Antarctic portrait ever taken (that of early Irish explorer Thomas Crean), to those of us wintering on this harsh, unforgiving continent it serves as a connection to Antarctica’s history and the first explorers who made our current adventure possible.
This portrait is one of over 80 in a series I started during my 8-month winter deployment to McMurdo Station, Antarctica. While the project started out as a way to distract myself from the isolation, darkness and lack of fresh vegetables, it quickly turned into something much more meaningful to my fellow winterovers and me. To us, Crean’s 100-year-old photo represents how it feels to be human in one of the most inhospitable place on earth. While modern Antarctic exploration has come a long way, it hasn’t changed the unwelcoming nature of this landscape and the experience of journeying to the end of the earth. That’s why it wasn’t as important to me to get the details exactly right. I wanted to recreate the feelings and curiosity evoked by the man in the photo. That’s why this photo of our station doctor is just as accurate of a recreation as another in my series of a girl who came down to wash dishes or the mechanic who sings in a makeshift band. It’s about our shared story.
"Friends Again" is a recreated photo of my Grandmother and her friends. The photo was originally captured by my Grandfather. The reconstructed photograph is from a larger project that I am currently working on titled "Life Relived," where I have been filling in the missing pieces of my family photo album.
I was inspired by this photo because of how the moment that was captured expressed the vibrancy and personality of each woman. I found myself wishing that I knew my Grandmother's friends. As I reconstructed the scene, I realized that I do know these women. Because I have attracted friends in my own life with a similar vibrancy and, each woman, with her own distinct personality.
