I Fink You Freeky
The last week has seen the 2014Frames blown away by the willingness of so many within the photographic world to join us in our little celebration of the art form. Thousands of images have passed our eyes while processing and filing the submissions and, while it took long hours and a lot of concentration from the team - it was often rewarding, presenting us with some lovely moments. Nina Bacos recounts one of those moments for us. It’s late. We are sitting around a table at Glad Café on the Southside of the city. Engrossed with our laptops we are going through the painstakingly slow process of downloading 2014 Frames submissions, a series of international photography projections which we are putting on at Cafe Saramago at The Centre for Contemporary Arts, Street Level Photoworks and at Merchant Square during Glasgow International
I hear something from John (a sound of sorts) and look over at the screen he slightly tilts my way. The image is rendered negative and I am really busy struggling with my spreadsheet and the connection which is dropping out but have time to share the reflection that the photographer that he is currently downloading must really like the work of Roger Ballen before I dive in to my work again. The submission I am working with curated by a young Northern Ireland born Canadian artist named Clare Samuel that I am working on looks good.
(Image - Clare Samuel) We are satisfied with the turn out, which includes submissions from all walks and stages of the photography world. From world renowned institutions like Hasselblad Foundation (Sweden), and activist Gimnasio De Arte (based in Mexico city and Chiapas), to Nigerian Born US based Lucy Azubuike and home grown collective Document Scotland. There are over 300 submissions consisting of 3 to 12 images in all, so we have reason to be satisfied. Particularly when one considers that 2 months ago we didn’t even have a name. But its not until later that night, when John pings the facebook pages we use to communicate with eachother when not hanging out at CCA, the Art School or Glad that the amazing magnitude of what we are doing lands on me. The aesthetic of the photography, which I had in bypassing, accredited to an interest in Roger Ballen’s was not at all the work of another photographer but indeed the man himself. Its then it dawns on me, the surfacing of his images in the collection of works makes me understand the amazing treasure a collaborative effort is. Its not that Roger Ballen’s work has more status for me than others in the selection, although I personally love the manifestation of his vision, but the rings on water and all that jazz… Its that his presence in 2014Frames is Proof of the sheer connectedness with a whole world of photography which the will of ten people, and the goodwill of others can bring together.
(Image - Roger Ballen)