So upon certain requests and thoughts about the last post I have tried to internalize the comments and try a couple of directions. Sadly no underpants, for a few reasons. First almost got arrested. Well that is mostly it. I do not want to get banned from places that I would like to go back to. So as a few of you know I have been on the road three months or so on my way back west. I have continued to shoot for twice westward but with film ( I have a trash bag full of it in my car) so there is nothing form that part. I have been making more self portraits as a tourist while making my more “critical” (?) photographs. I want to take pictures with other groups of tourists only problem is it’s winter in most places and it’s also the middle of the non-vacation season so I have been 95% alone and about 5% rejected. I’m going to continue to work on that. I really don’t know where these are going, they are facebook/myspace pictures for the most part. But is that appropriate?
Something Greg said about performance really got me on a roll thinking about performance and street photography. While looking at my own photographs and those of much better street photographers (winogrand, epstein, mercure) I have come to think that when not dealing with pure aesthetics the nature of the “the moment” is hugely performative. The context of which subject is performing and what performance is I think needs further analysis. Calculated actions simulating experience. What/who is performing in the context of tourism is very ambiguous. Baudrillard really hits on this thought with controlled environment i.e. nature trails parks, statues, museums, etc. creating certain responses. What I feel that I am attracted to in my photographs are these points of simulation or performance. I feel that Tammy Mercure’s work with tourist traps and tourists is a good reference point. Or even Sage Sohiers “perfect-able worlds”. What I am photographing are objects that are simulations and reactions / interactions that are created in these situations.
So I’ll say it again thoughts?