Soul Sights and Still Lifes

By Wendy Faunce

Wendy is a junior at Ball State, studying creative writing and telecommunications: video production. Here on The Public Screen, she aims to inform readers about recent and impacting projects of filmmakers, photographers, and other visual artists. 

Photographer Laura Letinsky is best known for her still life-photographs, some of which were recently displayed at the Photographer’s Gallery in London. The photographs, all of which were included in her series titled ““Ill Form and Void Full,” use fruit, dishes, paints, candy, and pastel-colored stains to compile an image that Letinsky describes as highly personal with strong “affiliations with domesticity and intimacy.”

Letinsky focused on portrait photography at the beginning of her career, specifically portraits of couples. While she was able to convey the affection that photography can evoke, she was not settled in the genre. “While I was taking photographs of couples in the 1990s, I began thinking about love, and about how photography relates to love, how it can function within a kind of circuitry of production and consumption… I also wanted to switch from an omnipotent point of view to something that felt more immediate, more first-person.”

Though one would be tempted to think that photographs of candy and fruit would be aloof and reserved when compared to portraits, the photographs simply show the same love of people in a more hidden and almost intimate way. Each item in the picture has been stretched, cut, arranged, or destroyed by someone, giving each item a distinctly human quality. In a sense, these inanimate object photos externalize the inner turmoil we can’t always see clearly below the surface of human interactions. In the same way people changed these objects, they can stretch, cut, and arrange each other’s souls as well. 

48 Hours to Film

By Wendy Faunce 

Wendy is a junior at Ball State, studying creative writing and telecommunications: video production. Here on The Public Screen, she aims to inform readers about recent and impacting projects of filmmakers, photographers, and other visual artists. 

"It took every virtue I had in my personality from patience to courage to sorority to leadership ability. Of course I will do it again!"
 

"We are sooo tired." 

"It was awesome working with and meeting new people and coming together to create something. We all enjoyed ourselves immensely!"

These sound like statements the Media Matters members would make about our work here on the Public Screen, but they are actually statements from participants in the 48 Hour Film Project, which is currently in the midst of a tour and set to reach Indianapolis in August.

Filmmakers from across the globe were involved in last year’s 48 Hour Film Project. This project started as a Washington DC filmmaker’s crazy idea: to make a film in 48 hours with the aid of only a small team of people. That idea grew in an unbelievable way over the last 12 years. As of last year, artists from 6 continents were involved with crews numbering anywhere from one person to a 116 member team (and 30 horses).

Each crew’s film has only four common criteria: a character, a genre, a prop, and one line of dialogue. These criteria are revealed to the crew on a specified Friday, providing them only the weekend to finish the film. “All writing, shooting, editing and scoring must be completed in just 48 hours.” After the weekend, one film from each city is selected by a panel of judges and submitted to the 48 Hour film festival, Filmapalooza. The top films are then shown at other festivals like the Cannes Film Festival and many more.

“The 48 Hour Film Project's mission is to advance filmmaking and promote filmmakers.” Because of the limited amount of time, the project focuses on many aspects of film that can be lost in lengthy productions. The filmmaking process is torn down to the bare-bones minimum, focusing on the process and creativity rather than effects or complicated plots. The chance to meet filmmakers from around the world also draws many artists and audiences.

Photos and Fairy Tales

 

By Wendy Faunce

Wendy is a junior at Ball State, studying creative writing and telecommunications: video production. Here on The Public Screen, she aims to inform readers about recent and impacting projects of filmmakers, photographers, and other visual artists.

Portrait photographer Annie Leibovitz has had an astounding career that began when she was a very young woman. In 1970, after graduating from the San Francisco Art Institute, Leibovitz was hired as a staff photographer with Rolling Stone. At the tender age of 23, she was promoted to head photographer. Over the next 10 years, she photographed countless musicians including John Lennon and the members of the Rolling Stones. Vanity Fair then hired Leibovitz. She photographed countless celebrities, musicians, and artists for the magazine. As with Rolling Stone, her photos became icons of artistic freedom and unrestrained boldness. In 1996, she was appointed official photographer of the Olympics in Atlanta.

People from around the globe recognize and admire Leibovitz’s distinct style. Her photos are well known for their bold base colors and “awkward” positioning of subjects. For example, one of her most famous photographs is a cover of Rolling Stone in which a completely naked John Lennon wrapped himself around Yoko, who was almost smiling for the photo. For Vanity Fair, she submerged Whoopi Goldberg in a bathtub filled with milk. Her arms and legs raised high in the air and comical expression stretching her face into a mocking smile.

Some of Leibovitz’s most recent work has circulated around Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites for several months. She has put together a collection of “realistic” portraits of Disney characters. For this “Disney Dream” series, Leibovitz uses A-list celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez, Will Ferrell, and Jeff Bridges to impersonate Disney cartoon characters’ against the backdrop of scenes similar to those in their movies. The photos are yet another staple in Annie Leibovitz’s already stunning career. “We’ve brought a classic to life!” she says.

Vlog 2: Checking In

To some degree, this second vlog builds upon the issues explored in our first, "Millennial" —  isolation, media consumption, the notion of moderation in a culture of excess, etc. 

Take a look, and let us know what you think! 

Checking In from Media Matters: The Public Screen on Vimeo.

The Old Switcheroo Made New

By Wendy Faunce

Hana Pesut, a photographer born and raised in Vancouver, BC, began her portrait series titled “Switcheroo” nearly two years ago. Since then, she has taken hundreds of pictures around the globe and published a photo book describing the process.

To participate in “Switcheroo,” couples are required to take two pictures. The first is a simple couple photo. The second is a photo in which the man and woman exchange clothes and mimic each other’s previous stance. The result is more often than not a woman power-stancing in a suit and a man balancing in heals and a dress.

“I think the project shows how far we've come in regards to what is acceptable for men and women to wear,” says Pesut. “[N]ow it seems that almost anything goes.” However, she does not want to assign a specific meaning or gender issue to the series. “I still enjoy just hearing everyone's own interpretations rather than putting an idea out there of what I think it should be.”

That is the beauty of this portrait series. It may be interpreted as a project criticizing gender politics, stereotypes, and the changing boundaries of social norms within society. It also may be enjoyed as a simple and quirky way for couples to reach a further understanding of each other. What is your interpretation?

History and Home Movies

By Wendy Faunce

 

Producer Arik Bernstein recently released the film Israel: A Home Movie. Shot between the 1930s and 1970s, the film features home video clips of Israeli citizens, giving an intensely personal and individual view of Israel’s history. “We spent between eight and ten years collecting all of the footage we have,” says Bernstein. “We put little ads in newspapers, I pushed myself onto every kind of radio show that I could, a lot of word of mouth.” In addition to the home videos, those appearing in the videos and their family and friends provide voiceovers to their clips. Some explain the situation in the clip while others nostalgically comment on their family and friends’ looks or even teasingly criticize the talents of the amateur cameramen.

Though it tells the history of Israel, the film turned out very differently than Bernstein expected. He states, “Israeli audiences told me that this was one of the most depressing films they’ve ever seen.” Israel’s history is by no means a tranquil one and the home videos capture that more fully than expected. A home video of a relaxing day at the beach between friends tells a particularly moving story.

Several shirtless men were enjoying the shoreline bordering a placid sea. As they dig their canopy’s legs into the sand, they spot something in the sky. “Suddenly they look up and they see an Egyptian jet fighter… They don’t know what’s going on [and then] they realize that there’s the surprise attack of the Egyptians and the 1973 Yom Kippur War has just begun.”

The film quickly turns into a melancholic exploration of the Yom Kippur War, capturing moments of confidence and despair. “The film goes from hope to war, from hope to war…” says Bernstein. “It shows in a very personal way, a kind of cycle that doesn’t end.” Not only is Israel: A Home Movie a film about Israel’s past, it is a film reflecting the state of the country at the present moment and, unfortunately, a very likely portrait of Israel’s future.

We often view history as a vast and untouchable something that is beyond us. This is by no means true, in fact it is nearly the opposite of what defines history. Family, friends, and strangers are history. History is individual stories, interwoven and intertwined throughout time, place, and culture. These home videos show raw and close history unspoiled by sensationalism and touched by living memory. People define history. People control these waves of hope and war, just as people suffer them. The impact and value of a single person, a family, an entire world of people is limitless. We have power, both good and bad, beyond measure.

Picture Personal

By Wendy Faunce

On the streets of New York City, Richard Renaldi combines photography and a social experiment, creating a very unusual project. Renaldi composes shots of two or more off-the-street volunteers who have never met intimately posing as friends, family, or lovers. The resulting photos are astounding. While some convey the awkward closeness of strangers, most of the photos reflect the weak yet genuine bond created between the volunteers within minutes. Responses like, “It was a good feeling” and “It was nice to feel that comfort” are very common among the participants despite their initial hesitation to participate. A thirty-something poetry teacher responded, “I felt like I cared for her,” when posed with his arms around a 95-year-old fashion designer. The photos often move Renaldi himself. He states, “It’s kind of lovely.”

 

One volunteer read further into her experience, reflecting, “We are probably missing so much about the people all around us.” And she is completely right. Though it may seem clichéd, we have the responsibility to acknowledge the inherent beauty of each person we encounter. We should not require a person with a camera to enable that acknowledgement. As renowned writer C.S. Lewis stated, “it is hardly possible for [people] to think too often or too deeply about [the glory] of [his/her neighbor].” He goes on to claim, “It is in the light of [the] overwhelming possibilities [of our neighbors’ glory]… that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics.”

Our greatest asset and source of life is each other. There are so many people in our lives that it seems impossible to even acknowledge, much less revel in the glory, of each and every person we encounter. However, considering the number of people stretched throughout time, culture, and place, one realizes that a relatively small and specific group of people is present in one’s life. 

Though it is impossible to create and maintain deep and meaningful relationships with every person we encounter, it is possible to recognize everyone as being of significant value to our lives and vice versa. Renaldi’s photos remind us that, in the words of Lewis, “[t]here are no ordinary people…” and that, even if in very small ways, we must treasure and celebrate the miraculous and remarkable existence of the human person. 

Protecting the Past: The Lens of History

By Wendy Faunce

 

Marc Hermann, an ex-photographer for the New York Daily News, is bringing history and present-day together in a project called “Daily News — Then & Now.” The project consists of a series of photos that combine crime scenes of past decades with current photos of the locations of those scenes. The result is an eerie and downright ghostly recreation of the past. 

Describing a black and white photo of a 1951 church fire, Hermann states, “You ask anybody around the neighborhood today, probably nobody’s old enough to remember that it ever happened.”

So what is the purpose of digging up New York City’s past? “The whole point of my project, really, is to remind people of the history they’re living among here in the city,” says Hermann.

Walking into buildings, down streets, or even through doorways, people generally do not remember those who must have done so 10, 20, 50 years ago. Most do not envision the history those places must hold, especially places which seem mundane and ordinary. How much more could people of today understand the world if they saw it as Marc Hermann does? How much more would people appreciate their community if they realized that their classrooms, coffee shops, and staircases are gifts from past generations?

The “Daily News — Then & Now” project serves as a profound reminder of the people who came before us and built our homes, our cities, and our nations. It reminds us to recall the past, but also reminds us to look to the future. We must remember that the people of the present-day are the people who build up the communities for future generations. These photos ask us to be sure the place we live and work is a place that we are unashamed to give to future generations.