上周四那个瓢泼大雨的下午，我又去看了一遍他的展览，作为摄影史课的一部分。我一直在想为什么我对他的作品总是有一种抵触情绪在，后来我老师说了一句话提醒了我。我忘记他具体说什么了，大致是说Alec Soth的肖像作品，是很阴暗的，经常描写贫困和孤立的感觉。绝对不是那种赞美式的照片。看他照片看多了，我觉得也不是能说一概不喜欢他的照片。有些照片的确很好，但是让我受不了的是他的某些照片是那种让我看了就反感的照片。也许就是那种不舒服感让我没办法接受他。我还是那种很注重表面的人啊。

I went to see Alec Soth’s “Tunnels & Birds” show again last Thursday afternoon. I was wondering why I always have resistance to his work. Then David said sth reminded me. I can’t remember what he exactly said, he meant Alec Soth’s work lot of time portrays poverty & feeling of isolation. They are not complementary photographs. I can’t say I don’t like his photos at all. Some photos are really great, but there are photos revolt me. Maybe it’s the uneasiness keeps me from appreciating his work. So maybe  I’m a formalist.

另一点我注意到的是他的展示方法。图示：
His way of presenting his work attracts my attention.

楼上是一组5幅的地道照片。基本是黑白的，除了花和标志意外。黑框。本来表面有树脂玻璃，后来因为反光去掉了。画幅很大。我一直在猜这是北京哪里呢，难道是王陵？我觉得这五幅照片比较cheesy。颜色和装裱都过于MOODY了。

这次展览是他的B-SIDES作品。也就是他主要PROJECT以外的边上的作品。像他那么有名的摄影师当然有无数展出机会了，多到可以展出自己的B-SIDES作品。有时候自己拍的照片，明知道不是最好，但是也觉得还是有优点的，并且想说不定别人看了也会喜欢呢。但是我觉得还是不展的好，再怎么说投入的精力和产出的结果，都是明眼人可以看出来的。当然他那么有名，另当别论。

5 photos of tunnels shown as a panorama are on the upper floor. They are basically black and white, except for the flower and the sign. There used to be plexi glass onto of the photo, they were taken away due to the glare. I was wondering where these tunnels are in

This show is his B-side work, from side projects he did. A famous photographer like him have many exhibitions, so many that he has chances to show his b-sides. Sometimes when I take some pictures, I know they are not my best, but still think they have some strongpoint. So maybe somebody else will like them, I will think. But still I think it’s better not showing your b-sides. Cause the amount of energy you put into your work, the result of the work, any smart people can tell as much as you do. But since he’s a celebrity, it’s another case.

楼下地下室有一幅大彩色照片，4幅小的黑白鸟照，其中大彩照左右两边各一幅，对面墙上一幅，厕所一幅。

我比较喜欢那张大彩照的装裱，估计和上次贴的Richard Renaldi是差不多的。原来玻璃和画面有1厘米距离，这样就免去了MATTE BOARD。而且照片大概是DRYMOUNT到什么板上的，也很平整。这样就两全其美了，又平整，又有玻璃光泽。

I like the way the big color photo was presented. There’s about 1 cm distance between the photo & the glass, thus avoiding the matte board. The photo is probably dry mounted onto some kind of board, very flat. It makes the best of both worlds, flat & glossy at the same time.

鸟照的装裱很特别，用了很厚的MATTE BOARD，然后把照片贴在当中，类似于印刷品的装裱。从装裱方式和挂放方式看（很大的一面墙放很小的照片），都是有一种很亲密的感觉。但是照片本身又截然相反，有一种疏远的感觉。

The presentation of bird portraits is very unique. He uses really thick matte board & pasted the photos in the center, almost like printmaking. From the way it’s framed & installed, it gives you a very intimate feeling. But the photos are going the opposite way, very distant & isolated.

http://chasemalone.com/?p=39  My classmate’s notes on the show. He took better pictures than I did.

上周令人高兴的是我被JEN BEKMAN blog了。记得去年冬天去纽约时专门去了JEN BEKMAN的画廊，可惜那天关门了，正好有展出我喜欢的Ye Rin Mok和Dana Miller的作品。那天我站在画廊外张望里面的样子，心想着哪天要是自己也能在这里展出就好了。我一直想参加HEY, HOT SHOT，但是总觉得自己还不到火候，所以一直在准备之中。

自从知道这件事以后，我一直在猜测别人喜欢我的照片什么呢？坦率的说，那张我趴在树丛上的照片并不是我的最爱。但是至今我得到的结论是，一般那些介于自己的意图和意外之间的作品往往更受欢迎。就好比自己的靶子总是要偏一点才能射到别人的靶子上，射自己的靶子的太准别人一般是没有反应的。也许我是在胡说，但是我大概是这么理解的。

I was glad that Jen Bekman blogged me last week. Last winter when I was in NY, I paid a visit to JenBekman’s gallery. But unfortunately it was closed. I was going to see the work of my favorite photographers Ye Rin Mok & Dana Miller. I said to myself it would be so great if I can show my work here when I was peeking thru the window. I’ve been always wanted to apply for Hey, Hot Shot, but never felt I’m ready for it, even til now.

Since I knew the answer to my sudden fame, I’ve been guessing why people like my photos. Honestly, the one I was lying on the bush wasn’t among my favorites. But I’ve get a conclusion that usually the work in between my attention & accident is more popular. It’s like you have to miss your own target a little bit so that you can hit other people’s target. If you shoot right into your own target, other people don’t feel so much. Maybe I’m just havering, but basically that’s how I feel. 

why suddenly so many people added me as a contact on flickr today? is it because msjenbee  favored one of my photo or what? Doesn’t look like so. Just random people keep adding me as contact out of nowhere. But none of them favored my photos. Feeling like an online suspension movie.

There’ll always a time in your life that you were brave. & when you look back at your life you will be amazed by yourself. It almost feels like another person. A super me. & how I wish I can be the super me again. Never happens. & later on when you look back at your life again, another super me appeared. You just never encount her.

http://www.studio-productions-inc.com/set_home.html

Richard Renaldi’s recent photo show. I think this way of photo display is acceptable. The frame looks simple enough & thin enough.

The only thing I’m not satisfied with print mounted on sentra board is I hope there’s a piece of glass on thop of the image.

刚看完ALEC SOTH的展览回来。他展了五幅一组的北京地道的黑白照片（不知道北京哪里有，看上去是可以给人参观的），一张大彩照，3张很小的黑白的鸟的肖像。最有意思的是一个14分钟的短片，拍的是得克萨斯某个小镇的街角，从午后到天黑，对着一个老电影院，你可以看到车流来来往往，鸟群飞来飞去，听到周围的声音。因为角度一点不变，时间长了，观众变开始找细微之处，比如鸟的飞行模式，背景声音。。。
　　
也许没有真正的DEADPAN摄影师。
他们多少总在找惊人之处，不管多么SUBTLE。
　　
如果一个真正的DEADPAN艺术家，
那么理解作品是观众的责任还是艺术家的责任？
假入有些艺术家已经完全放弃了任何主观表达，
把责任完全推给观众，让观众自己赋予作品意义，
这样也可以么？

Just back from Alec Soth’s “Tunnels and Birds” show. He showed a group of 5 B&W photos of Beijing Tunnels (I have no idea where in Beijing can you find them, they look like places for visit), one big color photo, & 3 small B&W bird portraits(How he present the 3 small B&W photos is interesting. The way they are put into frame look like printmaking.) The most interesting one is his 14′30 sec long video piece. The video was taken somewhere in Texas, a old rundown theatre around cornor from afternoon to night. You can see cars going by, birds hovering around, hearing ambient sound. Since the camera stayed in the same position, people began to search for subtle details as times goes by, like birds’ flying pattern or the background voice …

Maybe there’s no real deadpan photographer. No matter how subtle it is, they are always looking for sth awe.

If there’re some real deadpan artists, whose responsibility it is to understand the art work, the viewer’s or the artist’s?
If there’re some artists completely give up subjective expression, & leave the responsibility to viewers, let the viewer give the meaning to the art work. Is it possible? Is it OK?

有时候，比如我买了东西回家，里面正好有一样是让我欢喜的东西，但是刚回家一时记不起买了些什么，到底是哪样让我欢喜。但是那种感觉还是在，需要仔细回想一下，才能找到理由，有时候就怎么也记不起来。但是我想有过快乐的感觉总是真的吧。

那么喜欢任何东西，是否也需要记得或者知道理由呢？

Sometimes, I feel happy after shopping, coz I bought sth I like. But I can’t quite remember what I bought & which item was the one that made me happy. I can still feel the unknown happiness, but I need to think hard to find out the reason. Sometimes I just can’t remember why I’m happy. But it feels true.

So does that mean it’s ok to like or love anything, without remembering or knowing the reason?