CHESTER FIELDS

If you haven’t yet been to the Ken Lum exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery, you should GO RIGHT NOW! Sign out of facebook, put down that bowl of Mini-Wheats and get yee to public transit. Admission is $13 for students or by donation on Tuesday nights.

This exhibition could help you to push the limits of your ideas and what can be considered ‘art’, not to mention that much of Ken Lum’s work fits perfectly with this season’s theme. The artist draws context from his personal experience as a resident of a culturally diverse place, and often combines image and object in interesting ways! Let’s take a look!

Ken Lum, Amir, 2000

Amir looks like a typical small business sign, but its placement inside an Art Gallery sets it apart from everyday life. Here’s another example of how artists toy with the idea of Portrait (People Take Pictures of Each Other) and Still Life (Foreign Object). This sign is functioning as a portrait in the way that it makes us imagine the business owner. We consider what culture this person is from (‘Eritrea’ is a pretty good clue!), and wonder why the owner is moving.

Reading a photograph or a work of art often involves a lot of ‘unpacking’ in order to discover meaning. Think of your still life or object like a suitcase: depending on who is using it, where it is going, or how long it will be gone, it can be very different from other suitcases. What uses does your object have? Whose object is it? Where did it come from? Opening a suitcase will tell you a lot about the person it belongs to. Through clothing or toiletries the contents will provide a context for the owner. Now imagine two suitcases, one from 1950 and one from present day. How do their contents differ? What era is your object from? Is it new? Is it old? Is it timeless? When choosing the subject for your Foreign Object submissions, consider how your choice will be ‘unpacked’ by the viewer. Think of all the questions they might have. You don’t need to have all the answers, of course, but be aware of how many curiousities a simple object can inspire!

Take a look at these images of televisions by Lee Friedlander! What questions come to mind with these images? How are they different from each other? How are they the same?

Lee Friedlander, Florida (With Sexy Eyes), 1963

Lee Friedlander, TV in Hotel Room, Galax, Virginia, 1962

The large majority of the Chester Fields entries we receive each season are digital images, and who can blame you? With our e-mail submission process it’s super easy to upload and send. But sometimes doing something a little differently is what gets you noticed! With over 300 expected entries this season, what can you do to set yourself apart? Maybe it’s time you explored film? There are some pretty fun toy cameras available these days, and even the ol’ point-and-shoot can create some stunning images.

Yuliya Mazilova, Me, 2008

Ben Dobson, Cherry Blossom, 2008

Amy Sexton, Fake Fruity Fisheye, 2009

Beau Photo Supplies has a great selection of analogue cameras from Holga and the Lomographic Society. Take 8 images in sequence on one frame with the Oktomat! Or try the fisheye camera for a 180 degree view! Cult Classics like the Holga or the Diana give you saturated colours, blissful blurs and light leaks, amounting to some very happy ‘accidents’ in photo land.

Check out all the cameras at Beau Photo here.

Is there anything about your world that you wish you could change? In 1966 a party called The Black Panthers was formed and played an important role in the African-American struggle to gain equality and justice. This group inspired progress and change through a movement based upon leadership and community. The Black Panthers created a Ten Point platform called “What We Want, What We Believe”, and much of the issues that it addressed are still relevant today: full employment, healthcare, housing, education, fair trials, the end of police brutality, and economic justice.

Through an active campaign of visuals, graphics, posters and newspaper production, The Black Panthers successfully communicated with and captured the imagination of the American people. Much of this communication was dependant upon the use of specific signs and symbols. The Black Panther symbol branded much of their activity, as did their style of uniform dress: a leather jacket, black slacks, dark shoes, a beret and a blue shirt. Consider the signs, symbols, actions, poses and postures found within the Black Panther images and how they communicate a bigger message. Photography is a great way to highlight issues that you think are important and a way to inspire cultural awareness. The Black Panthers legacy is a belief that anyone can effect change. What change do you want to inspire?

Howard Bingham, Black Panther Rally #7, 1968

Members of the Black Panther Party demonstrating outside a New York City courthouse, April 11, 1969. Hulton Archive/Getty Images.

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