photography – Kristen Baumlier

Tag: photography

Landfill Dogs: Photographs of Dogs Without a Home

Posted on June 13, 2013June 21, 2013 by Kbaumlier

I recently came across the photography of artist Mary Shannon Johnstone, in doing research about artists in the Raleigh, NC area, where I recently moved. Johnstone’s current project, called Landfill Dogs is a yearlong project where she photographs dogs from the county animal shelter at the local landfill.

Each image of the different dogs is unique, and the expressions of the animals vary from image to image. One of my favorite images is taken near the time of sunset. With red clouds behind, the dog is hopping up into the air, as if he/she is about to catch a Frisbee (or a treat) in the air.

The image of the dogs are beautiful, but also quietly haunting once your learn that each dog is close to euthanasia if they do not find a home. Each of the dogs have been homeless for at least two weeks before they are photographs. Each week for 18 months (late 2012–early 2014) the artist is taking one dog from the county animal shelter and photographing him/her at the local landfill. The landfill site is used because this is where the dogs will end up if they do not find a home, and the dogs are photographed at the site of their potential end.

Johnstone also uses the site of the landfill because the county animal shelter is managed under the same management as the landfill. The artist writes, “This government structure reflects a societal value; homeless cats and dogs are just another waste stream. However, this landscape offers a metaphor of hope. It is a place of trash that has been transformed into a place of beauty.”

As part of her photographic process, each dog receives a car ride, a walk, treats, and about 2 hours of d individual attention. The artist writes that her goal is to,”…offer an individual face to the souls that are lost because of animal overpopulation, and give these animals one last chance. This project will continue for one year, so that we can see the landscape change, but the constant stream of dogs remains the same.”

To see more images of the Landfill dogs, you can check out the Facebook page, where you can keep up with the project.

Image Source:
www.shannonjohnstone.com/landfill_dogs/landfill_dogs.xml

Links:

www.facebook.com/LandfillDogs

www.shannonjohnstone.com/landfill_dogs/landfill_dogs.xml

DOCUMERICA: Images of America in Crisis in the 1970s

Posted on December 10, 2011December 10, 2011 by Kbaumlier

At the end of the 1960’s, the rapid development of industry and the unchecked land development began to take a noticeable toll on the environment. Air, noise, and water pollution seemed to be on the rise, and people began to call for action.

In November 1971, the newly created Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched a massive photo documentary project to record these changes. Called DOCUMERICA, more than 100 photographers were hired to document specific environmental issues, to capture images of everyday life, and to show that moment in history. By 1974, more than 80,000 photographs had been produced. The images framed environmental problems such as noise, water and air pollution, but also health problems and social decay.
The project also collected images of American making changes and creating positive change in their surroundings.

The project was the United States first serious examination of the decay of the natural environment Gifford Hampshire was the EPA Project director for DOCUMERICA and described the inspiration of the project as, “It was an exciting time. The public was expecting results.” Hampshire wrote in his memoir that the EPA had worked to close down the big offenders of industrial pollution, but that it became clear that ordinary people were responsible for many pollution issues.

The project was geographic in nature, with photographers working in one area of the U.S. usually where they lived and worked as professional photographers. Exhibits of the images were shown at EPA facilities and other small venues until the early 1980s.

The images are really eye-opening today. Images of cities with smog, subways with graffiti, a town with 4 nuclear reactors in the background – paint a picture of the environment as it was in the 1970s. Looking at them today also shows that we have made some progress in terms of protecting the environment, and in dealing with pollution.

The images can be seen on the Documerica Catalogue website, and there is also a great selection of 46 images on the Atlantic’s website.

Image Source:
DOCUMERICA Project

Links:

DOCUMERICA Images of Crisis and Cure in the 1970s

Archival Research Catalogue – Documerica

46 selected pictures on The Atlantic DOCUMERICA: Images of America in Crisis in the 1970s

Photography as Activism: Polar Obsession

Posted on November 7, 2011November 7, 2011 by Kbaumlier

Last week I wrote about the Climate Change exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art and about how the exhibit relied on text and information in an attempt to gain attention to global warming, which can be ineffective of informing and engaging visitors. There is another exhibit on display of photography at CMNH that is a good example of how imagery and art can spark interest in viewers about the issue of global warming.

The exhibit Polar Obsession features the work of photographer Paul Nicklen, who uses his camera to capture unique images of animals who live in the polar regions, whose livelihood is threatened due to the polar melting away caused by human-induced global warming. The show features over 60 images that are unique images of polar animals in their natural settings.

Nicklen calls himself an interpreter or translator and says that through photography he can translate what he hears from scientists. “If we lose ice, we stand to lose an entire ecosystem,” Nicklen says. “I hope we can realize through my photography how interconnected these species are to ice.”

Instead of using telephoto lenses, Nicklen likes to get close to his subjects, which gives his images a unique presence. Nicklen writes that, “Two colleagues at National Geographic have nicknamed me the Underwater Street Photographer, because it’s the street photographer who gets as close as possible to each subject, sometimes bringing the camera lens to within centimeters of the subjects. Many wildlife photographers mainly use a long telephoto lens to shoot full frame images. If I am using my 600mm lens, I don’t feel close enough. If I am diving under the ice face to face with a walrus, filling the frame with my fisheye lens in a potentially dangerous situation, where no one has been before – then I know I am getting something good.”

Nicklen’s images have a unique quality than other nature photographs. The photographs often depict animals from different angles, rare interactions of animals, and in a sharpness in the photo quality rarely seen in wildlife photography.

Recently there has been an increase in articles and posts about nature photographers who photograph endangered species as activists. Nicklen’s work aims to generate global awareness about wildlife and environmental issues, and is an example of how images can get others to become aware and appreciate polar species.

“I realize that if I really want people to care about polar species such as the polar bear, leopard seal, walrus and narwhal, my images have to be wild and raw. I want people to feel what it’s like to be in the water, swimming a meter from a polar bear,” Nicklen says. “I want them to experience what it’s like to be offered a penguin as food by a leopard seal. Only then will they care about that habitat and that species.”

To do this work, he has gone on expeditions that include tracking Stellar sea lions in the Aleutian Islands, diving with narwhals off of Northern Baffin Island, swimming with leopard seals in Antarctica, photographing walruses on sea ice in Nunavut, and living on the open tundra with bears and wolves for a three-month solo trek. .

In one of his talks he mentions the power of the animals themselves to bring attention to a larger issue. Nicklen says, “If you tell people ‘We are going to lose ice,’ no one is interested because we hear it all the time. If you tell people, ‘We are going to lose polar bears,’ you get peoples’ attention.”

The exhibition supports his book, Polar Obsessions, which was published by National Geographic in November 2009.

Most visitors at the museum that I saw stopped to view the images, and many watched the TEDtalk of Nicklen that is playing as part of the exhibit. Even if you have seen lots of imagery of bears and seals – this show will capture your attention and provide a way to see polar animals and their habitat in a new way.

Polar Obsession is on display at CMNH until January 22, 2012.

Images:

Paul Nicklen

Links:

Paul Nicklen’s Website

Paul Nicklen’s TED talk video

Polar Obsession Exhibit : at CMNH page

Extreme Exposure: Paul Nicklen Talk (Feb. 24, 20111)

Barry Underwood at the Sculpture Center: Illusion and Installation

Posted on November 5, 2011November 6, 2011 by Kbaumlier

Last night I attended the opening at The Sculpture Center in Cleveland. Barry Underwood (who I teach with at the Cleveland Institute of Art), has an installation on view in the studioTECHNE Euclid Avenue Gallery.

In his photographs, Underwood transforms natural landscapes by combining elements of film, theater, light and land art into installations. This new installation is his first piece that is a temporary construction that can be physically experienced beyond the photograph. The work plays with illusion and reality and provides an engaging experience and insight into his photography process.

Many artists call works installation –but the focus remains on form. Underwood’s piece is a good example of a “true” installation. It is site-specific, temporary in its construction, and takes into account a broader sensory experience. Viewers have to navigate, look for clues, and explore to see the work. Similar to experiencing many of James Turrell works, the viewer has to seek out the work and navigate through a constructed space – while not exactly knowing what to look for or where to go.

In Underwood’s piece, the viewer navigates through two spaces –one in the front of the gallery which the artist called the “red space,” and the second space which is in the back. The work plays with perception and illusion – and is worth a view (or a walk/exploration.) The two spaces are a dichotomy between front and back; reality and illusion; and image and construction. I would love to write about what is in each of the rooms – (!) – but this would ruin the experience for those who have not seen the work yet.

The show is up until December 17^th. One suggestion – make sure you remove your sunglasses before entering the work.

Links:

Sculpture Center – Exhibit page

Barry Underwood’s Site

Interview with Barry Underwood