Mise en place

The clone war

Credit: Colorado Doug and GOPyouth, snappedshot.com.
(http://morris.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/11/photography-as-a-weapon/)

We are too good at believing what we see even when we are told what we are seeing is wrong. Documentary filmmaker, Errol Morris speaks to Hany Farid, a Dartmouth professor and an expert on digital photography about the power of photography to influence perception in an article titled, Photography as Weapon, in The New York Times. The conversation centers on the recent uncovering of altered photo reportage of Iranian missile tests. The first photo released showed four missiles taking off when in fact there were only three. The Q&A also discuss how photography and montage have been used historically to propagandize and protest.

Bakesale Betty

Bakesale Betty  is small shop and bakery at 51st street and Telegraph in Oakland. During the day you can easily spot the location from the ironing board tables in front and a line out the door. The shop is primarily known for their baked goods, such as scones, brownies and cookies. For lunch they serve delicious fried chicken and egg-salad sandwiches. The oatmeal raisin cookies are the best I have ever had.

Waterfalls in New York City

From June 26th through October 13th, 2008 New York City has four man-made waterfalls are on display. Artist Olafur Eliason collaborated with The Public Art fund to produce the artwork. I have not seen the waterfalls but I have heard they are very impressive. I saw Eliason's Weather Project at the Tate Modern in London in 2003, which attracted and engaged a lot of people in and out of the mainstream artworld. I am curious to see if the waterfalls will engage the public in a similar way.
Photo courtesy of Seth Friedman.

Pastry Cook

August Sander (German, 1876–1964) Pastrycook, 1928
Gelatin silver print; 23.8 x 14 cm (9 3/8 x 5 1/2 in.)

Ethan Livitas’s portrait of Grant Achatz (in the previous post) reminds me August Sander’s famous photo documentary series, Menschen des 20 Jahrhunderts (People of the 20th Century). The iconic portraits are Sander’s index of the German population, classified into seven groups by social “type”: the Farmer; the Skilled Tradesman; the Woman; Classes and Professions; the Artists; the City; and the Last People. (referenced metmuseum.org)

Grant Achatz—“a man of taste”.

The New Yorker did a profile the young chef last May (click here to read). In the elite gastronomy world Achatz is known as the brilliant executive chef of Alinea in Chicago. He is also recognized as the cook with cancer. After a diagonosis of stage IV cancer of the tongue, rounds of radiation and chemotherapy, he is back in the kitchen—in fact he never left. His passion for food, creative methods of preparing and serving it, and his tenacity are inspiring.
The photo was created by Ethan Livitas.

By Hand

A series of poster advertisements in the Embarcadero Bart station in San Francisco depicts hands illustrated with exotic scenes and animals. What I initially thought were digital images overlayed on the hands are actually hand painted and superbly crafted.

Anders

Congratualtions Felix and Kristen. He is a wonderful boy.

On stage

We woke up at 7:00am to a greeting of 800 fires burning. That was all I got before the radio was clicked off. But the smoky, pale orange morning light added context to the news bit. By 11:30am I could not see San Francisco across the bay from the West Oakland Bart platform. By 8:00pm the smell of smoke had waned but the haze still sat still in the atmosphere, creating a natural light shield that enabled me to look directly at the fiery Sun as it set. The warm, diffused light was unreal, like a stage set.