I had the idea for this project about 3 years ago, but I’m just now getting around to executing it.
Around 2008 I packed up my car and traveled across the entire United States, partially to see the country I’m from, but also to document it with my camera. I always want to bring a fresh idea to photography or progress the art. A couple ways I thought to do this was to take some self portraits of myself lying with my back to the ground. The other was to take pictures of retail and commercial buildings after hours. This project revolves around the latter idea.
Art, as I’m sure you’re well aware of, is very subjective, so I guess my hope is that looking at these photos slows people down… teaches them to look at ordinary things, or familiar things, in a different light.
One analogy I have come up with is a fisherman. Say a fisherman gets dropped off at his fishing lake every day and fishes for his living. Imagine if his pole broke on the first cast of the day, and he was left to sit by the lake all day until his ride came back. He would probably start to see the beauty of the lake, it’s ripples… the trees surrounding it, and their reflections. Up until now the lake was just a utility to him, a means to live, but remove the original purpose for visiting that lake, and it takes on a whole different meaning.
What if you take consuming out the the equation for visiting a store?
Some people might see this project as a time capsule – showing commerce, fashion, advertising, and trends of the time… a zeitgeist if you will.
Thanks for doing me the favor of stopping by. Show and book to follow. — Erik
About
01.12.2011 The Morning News (Headlines)
01.07.2011 Bobulate (Sorry, No Consuming)
12.21.2010 Mirra y Calla (Public Works)
12.20.2010 Coudal Partners (Fresh Signals)
12.16.2010 Draplin Design Co. (Thick Lines)
“Strangely calming.” – Andy Baio
“Love this pic!” – @American_eagle
“Great photo!” – @shopfrancescas
“This is really great, and a fun idea!” – Jason Santa Maria
I had the idea for this project about 3 years ago, but I’m just now getting around to executing it.
Around 2008 I packed up my car and traveled across the entire United States, partially to see the country I’m from, but also to document it with my camera. I always want to bring a fresh idea to photography or progress the art. A couple ways I thought to do this was to take some self portraits of myself lying with my back to the ground. The other was to take pictures of retail and commercial buildings after hours. This project revolves around the latter idea.
Art, as I’m sure you’re well aware of, is very subjective, so I guess my hope is that looking at these photos slows people down… teaches them to look at ordinary things, or familiar things, in a different light.
One analogy I have come up with is a fisherman. Say a fisherman gets dropped off at his fishing lake every day and fishes for his living. Imagine if his pole broke on the first cast of the day, and he was left to sit by the lake all day until his ride came back. He would probably start to see the beauty of the lake, it’s ripples… the trees surrounding it, and their reflections. Up until now the lake was just a utility to him, a means to live, but remove the original purpose for visiting that lake, and it takes on a whole different meaning.
What if you take consuming out the the equation for visiting a store?
Some people might see this project as a time capsule – showing commerce, fashion, advertising, and trends of the time… a zeitgeist if you will.
Thanks for doing me the favor of stopping by. Show and book to follow. — Erik