polaroid is where high science met popular culture smack dab in the middle of the 20th century. like america's first trip to the moon, edwin land's invention of instant photography brought advanced technology to a media crazy consumer public. As 20th century art simultaneously defined itself as an all-access genre, the polaroid took off. perhaps it was the 'fun' aspect highlighted in domestic marketing campaigns that rendered it unthreatening to those being photographed, certainly it's the casual relationship between photographer & subject that helped mark it for success.
pat graham & melanie standage are old-skool polaroid freaks. they adapt old fashioned land cameras to work in modern settings & document their lives. these old land cameras are hard to use, it takes dedication & a lot of love to persue this path. and perhaps that's part of the reason. it's a challenge not dissimilar to an 'oulipo' objective in literary circles. but then it's more. it's also sentimental. it's a big love affair with a charming technology. but perhaps most of all it's a disarming tool to use in informal settings. it's a camera that 'sitters' respond to like no other.
pat & melanie have been communicating & inspiring each other in this series since 1997. together they have used the format to record fragments of time within a disposable culture. the exhibition brings together a bit of everything: pat's touring photos from the usa & europe; melanie's street series 'small breed dogs of london & other places'; live shots from rock shows & parties; family events; skies; on the side at any photoshoot.
the exhibition itself comprises hundreds of individual art pieces that stand as a definitive 'whole'. the artists have created modular displays that comprise a mix & match approach to art making.
content themes
pop culture icons . portraits . skyscapes . friends . family . architecture . parties . small breed dog . bassett hounds . food . cityscapes . touring . rock shows . flowers . landscapes . self portraits
musicians included
air . modest mouse . fugazi . quickspace . the shins . june of 44 . sea & cake . the makeup . royal trux . tortoise . the evens . ted leo . the pharmacists . geoff farina . french toast . part chimp . cass mccombs . elliot smith . jenny toomey . judah bauer . brett anderson . penny rimbaud . les savy fav . sarah cracknell . at the drive in
Please come to the opening Friday, July 30th from 7-9PM.
96 Gillespie
open TU - SU, 12 noon - 6pm
96 Gillespie Road
London n5
Arsenal Tube
(exit tube, turn left, look for #96)
020 7503 3496
www.96gillespie.com
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