We are chatting away during the Portugal x Netherlands match at the Wicker Park Tavern and a pitcher of Guinness The conversation comes around to his residency in the Catskills and what he is going to do when he is there in August.
Being a photographer I was wondering if he was going go digital or analogue – I wasn’t worried about whether he would make snaps after all he is staff not faculty.
He said that while he was going to take his usual cameras but thought he would take the Canon digital to see if he can come to terms with it and since he was being asked about archiving and how/if working methods with the camera, he wanted to be prepared to answer them.
We went on to talk about how digital photograph has allowed photographers to make work in situ the way that “real” artists have done for some time editing becomes something that can be done if not immediately soon after, and one can leave residencies not geared toward photographers with product.
Sobering up enough to drive and once I didn’t have to divide my time between being social and watching Portugal win, I realised why he was staff and not faculty. Here was someone who was actually taking the time to do something that was not part of his practice because it may be needed in his job. Both of us being reigning monarchs of optimistic cynicism know full well that the majority of those who are blessed to be part of that great institution in a major Midwestern metropolis will find away of passing on their ignorance to a lesser being if they bother to pick up the camera at all. He was simply preparing himself.
The reason – however – isn’t complete cynicism – I am guessing as making snaps he is also seeing if he can reconcile digital and its particular syntax into his working method. One has to pity him. Now if only he’d slack off a bit and do the residency during term missing a few classes... well then.
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