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| © Hazel Hankin |
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| Polar Express Disco Ride, 1985 © Hazel Hankin |
"As a kid growing up in Brooklyn, Coney Island was a place of wonder. Alluring yet a little scary, it seemed to exist outside of normal life. It was a dazzle of exotic sights, sounds and tastes. In my teens I went with friends to scream on the Cyclone, to swing high above the ground on the Wonder Wheel, to wolf down Nathan's delicious franks, fries and clams. When I became serious about photography in the late 1970s, Coney Island became the subject for my first long-term project. Now, on top of the amusement park theatrics, I was touched by Coney's air of faded glory, amused by its visual ironies, and heartened at the persistence of its unique brand of popular culture, carrying on stubbornly in the face of poverty and neglect. This was no Disneyland: no slick, sanitized, carefully packaged corporate resort. I loved Coney Island for its pluck, for its funk. In the 1980s I became part of the Coney Island Hysterical Society, a pioneering troupe of visual artists who created art in, for and about Coney Island. Like New York City itself, Coney Island has multiple layers of history and character. Like the City, its tawdriness is part of its richness and charm. But today powerful real estate interests and the politicians who serve them are gradually hollowing out New York, and those same forces now threaten Coney Island. America's beloved, iconic amusement beach is under attack by forces that would destroy it in order to "save" it. I truly hope that whatever happens on that stretch of shore, Coney Island will survive; that its spirit will live on for future generations of New Yorkers and the world."Click here to see all the photographs
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| Piel Canela Performance Group © Hazel Hankin |
“I wanted to show what it felt like to be dancing. It’s extremely visual. It’s a challenge to capture things in motion. When I first started it was hard, because you don’t know what’s going to happen next. When things are in flux, to get a good picture requires everything coming together in a certain way.”
Joseph Sohm's VISIONS OF AMERICA book is now available in iPad Vook format from the iTunes Store!VISIONS OF AMERICA addresses a single question: How do you photograph democracy? After all, democracy is an "idea," and not something one can easily wrap one's lens around. But photographing democracy is indeed what Joseph Sohm has done in this epic journey across the fifty states. Spanning three decades, tens of thousands of images were assembled in what becomes a compelling mosaic.
Visions of America is a perceptive work about both the photographer and the photographed. Reflecting on the wisdom of the founders, coupled with personal observations about American history, Sohm takes us on an insightful journey down the back roads and byways of the U.S., ultimately leading to a deeper understanding and appreciation of who we are as a nation and a people. Visions of America is a sweeping portrait of life in this American democracy, a portrait that shows us US, the United States.
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| © David Stock |
“The pictures come out like presents…”- William Wegman
When Edwin Land introduced Polaroid Instant Film in 1947, he was unaware that he would anticipate two revolutions in photography. The first was instant photography, where both photographer (and human subject) could sample their image immediately. The second was digital photography, with a different -- and less expensive -- type of instant image. Ironically, this alternative hastened the demise of Polaroid.
What is the allure and fascination of the Polaroid? Beyond the sheer magic of seeing an image appear from nothingness, the prints could be remarkably rich, vibrant and resolute, rivaling and sometimes surpassing the finest silver or color prints. The Polaroid print was a living object: you shook it in the air or held it in the warmth of your armpit to accelerate development. With the sharing of the image and the subsequent marvel, taking a picture became an interactive experience.
"Portrayal – from the Latin verb protrahere, to draw forward (pro- forward + trahere- to draw)
To make a portrait is to engage in a close and risky relationship with the subject. The process, bringing forward knowledge, can collapse social norms of comfortable distance. The portrayal of a living subject allows for limitless surprise and for the unknown to appear even in a beloved face and form.
The artists participating in “Portayal” have captured a connection between artist and subject. This relation is real, but cannot be pinned on likeness or mood. It is the opposite of anonymity. Arising from the complexity of a two-way encounter, the work does not partake of narrative or easily identified emotion.
Empathy, frailties and strengths, and individuality are made concrete by these portraits. But the telling mark or method of this accomplishment cannot be ascertained. Mysterious as the intimate can be, these portraits are an antidote to our daily bath in data, information without intelligence. They draw forth questions." - Marianne Gagnier June 2010
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