Thursday, August 28, 2008
Kingsley's Crossing
Kingsley's Crossing. Photography by Olivier Jobard. Produced by Media Storm.Click on the photo above to view the 20 minute video of Kingsley's amazing journey. Olivier Jobard remains invisible throughout this odyssey, but the dedication of this photojournalist is truly inspiring. This is photojournalism!
"Kingsley is a 23-year-old lifeguard from the West African coastal town of Limbe, Cameroon. Though he longed to be a professional footballer, French soldiers trained him to become a lifeguard, and Kingsley soon found himself working at an upscale hotel giving swimming lessons to visiting Europeans. He earned just 50 euros a month, enough to pay for food and the rented two-room house he shared with his parents and seven siblings.
"Most families in my country want their children to go to Europe," Kingsley says. It is in Europe - the new El Dorado - that African immigrants can vastly increase their incomes while also providing for their families back home. So, in May of 2004, Kingsley left Cameroon on what he calls "his mission." What followed was an excruciating six-month journey across half of Africa.
Kingsley's Crossing is the story of one man's willingness to abandon everything - his family, his country, and his friends - in the hopes of finding a better life abroad. Award-winning French photojournalist Olivier Jobard documents the passage."
Mediastorm.org. (via 1mag3)
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Justin Visnesky Print Available
Justin Visnesky announced recently that he is making the photo above available as a limited edition 8x10 print. At just $30, it's a great deal for a quiet and compelling photo. Did I mention that the edition is helping to finance a group show called Here and There that he's curating in St. Louis? The lineup is impressive:
Seriously - you're a jerk if you don't buy one. Get yours here.
Seriously - you're a jerk if you don't buy one. Get yours here.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
Friday, August 8, 2008
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
The Airplane At MoMA
"On July 25, 2008 at approximately 7PM, this delicate piece of paper took flight from the 6th floor balcony and came to rest here, on this perch, just seconds later. While resting upside down in its current state, the hopeful forces behind its creation envisioned it to forever remain in flight. Despite the overwhelming improbability of this hope, an attempt was made with full belief that anything could happen and that nothing is certain, even the laws of nature.
A plane was first thrown out of spontaneous boredom while stuck in a crowd too thick to see what we were there for. It fell to the 2nd floor only to be stomped on by an unknown stranger upon its landing. The second plane, only done out of frustration in the lack of flight of the first, rocketed out of sight and without intent, to where it now lies. It landed there only by chance, a one in a million chance. It is still there, so far."
Check out the airplane's story here.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Scott Fountain
For the reader who's never been to Detroit, Belle Isle is an island in the middle of the Detroit River and is the largest island park in the United States. For over a hundred years, Detroiters have been crossing the bridge to visit the island to enjoy a day of leisure that has at times included a golf course, an aquarium, a zoo, a water park, botanical gardens, the country's oldest conservatory, a yacht club and boat club, and a maritime museum. The landscape was designed in the 1880's by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. He is famous for having designed many urban parks, including Central Park and Prospect Park in New York. And the heart of this island park is the Scott Memorial Fountain, pictured below.
October, 2007.
The two previous photographs were taken last fall, shortly after the fountain was restored in preparations for the return of Grand Prix racing to the island.
August 2, 2008.
The last photograph shows what the fountain has looked like since the beginning of the summer when the copper pipes and electrical wiring were stolen for scrap - seriously! The Grand Prix race on Belle Isle is later in the month, and the city is apparently making efforts to have it repaired in time for the race visitors to enjoy. I have to admit I'm a little conflicted talking about stories like this that reinforce the notion of Detroit as post-apocalyptic city whose infrastructure is being destroyed by its citizens. There are other sad and brazen copper thefts, including the theft of an eight foot statue of Jesus. Talk about pushing the limits of God's forgiveness...... In the end, though I am encouraged by the city's willingness to invest in this repair, though my guess is that they had some help from some of the Grand Prix investors. It's a reminder Detroit's toughness and a refusal to give up.
October, 2007.
August 2, 2008.
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