Photo Speed Dating at Lens Culture Fotofest Paris 2010
Your taste of life in Paris and France
ParlerParis.com
Wednesday, November 17, 2010 • Paris, France
with Moneycorp
When you're buying a holiday home or investment property overseas, trading your currency can be a crucial cost factor. The euro exchange rate is constantly fluctuating, so trading at the right time will mean your money goes a lot further. Adrian Leeds Group, LLC and Moneycorp are working together to ensure you make the most of your Dollar or Sterling when buying a property in France or anytime you transfer from one currency to another.
For more information, visit: moneycorpconvertor.html
           |
   |
Dear Parler Paris Reader,
It was surprising that two people independently of one another used the same term for what was happening in the two rooms: "Photo Speed Dating." This is how the action was described by Jim Casper, Founder and Editor of Lens Culture Magazine and Director of the event, Lens Culture FotoFest Paris 2010, and by a friend accompanying me. It was very befitting, indeed.
Paris hosted, for the first time, this large-scale internationally organized portfolio review for photographic artists, with 170 photographers and 48 reviewers from 32 countries in Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Americas. The three-day program (November 15-17, 2010) is being held in conjunction with Paris Photo, one of the world’s largest commercial photography fairs, which opens tonight at the Carrousel du Louvre.
The portfolio review took place at Spéos Paris Photographic Institute in the 11th, in two large spaces next door to one another. Photographers were lined up, each standing behind a table on which was displayed a collection of their work. Like Speed Dating, you could step into the space, be face-to-face with the artist and his/her work, look through the images and discuss the work, or whatever, for that matter, directly with the artist.
The rooms were both packed with mostly Anglophones (almost no French was spoken) who were connected with the event in some way, serious buyers or just 'lookie-loos' like us, hoping to get a glimpse of what contemporary photographers are doing these days to express themselves and raise the level of the art.
Organizers described the intent of the event as "to enable serious, mid-career photographers to meet leading people in the field of creative photography –- curators, publishers, gallery owners, festival directors, agency representatives, and art directors –- who can aid the development and careers of photographers, and help to introduce their work throughout the world." It was an excellent way for participating photographers to get expert feedback about their work and have the possibility of getting editorial assignments, book publication contracts, art gallery representation, as well feature articles in magazines, online and in print. For the reviewers and for us lookie-loos, we hoped to discover new talent as well as view the latest work of photographers who are already established.
One of the photographers, Maria Delos Reyes from New Orleans, whose softly-lit black and white photos of my home town caught my eye, when asked about her viewpoint of the event could only utter, "It's been intense, very intense." And that's how the Photo Speed Dating was -- intense -- and so much fun!
"Meet the Artists Nigh" lasted for only two hours (6:30 to 8:30 p.m.) and was the only public aspect of the three-day fest, designed so that art and photography collectors could see and buy photography from many of the participating portfolio review artists. I sped through the two rooms trying to get to see as much work as possible and talk with the artists to learn more about their work, particularly those I admired most, of course.
It was exciting to see so much wonderful work, both in quality technically and conceptually. You might be surprised how simple portraiture can appear so distinctly different from one photographer's eye (or hand) to the next and how making one small twist in the concept can so dramatically change the final result.
We first came upon the portrait work of Ana Galán -- very fresh and pure, and of elderly couples, loving. Lydia Panas' portraits, each set on a black background, with the subject holding some sort of food object in a 'push-pull' motion, as if to tease you, but hold back from actually giving of itself, is so profound in concept that it might have many different meanings for different viewers. I loved Nancy LeVine's "Senior Dogs Across America" series. She learned a few new tricks capturing their wisdom even if the old dogs had not. Monica Denevan manages to put a powerful punch into black and white images of humanity in natural environments that are visually arresting -- the kind once you've seen you can't get out of your mind's eye. Mary Farmilant's minimalist architectural photos of interiors, in soft pastels, although starkly opposite to Denevan's, are stunning views of objects and spaces that seem to have no beauty except through her eyes and ultimately yours.
It was tough to decide whose work would engender a second 'date.' I fell in love with them all, all for different reasons. But why not?! Can't we love more than one? Can't we love more than one person? More than one thing? More than one work of art?
Of course we can. That's why Photo Speed Dating can be so much fun. This way we got to have a little taste of each without a serious commitment to any.
More resources to learn about the organizers:
www.fotofest-paris.com
www.lensculture.com www.fotofest.org
A la prochaine...
Editor, Parler Paris
Share this article with a friend...
Respond to Adrian
