Tag Archives: art

Johanna Poethig is a visual, public and performance artist

Johanna Poethig, Artist

Johanna Poethig, for more info click image.

Advertisement

I started out as the kind of photographer that just wanted to take pictures of people as they go along in life. When I was at art school in Washington DC, I took pictures on the street, parties, protest marches… As I turned photography into a career, most of the photographs I did were very setup and calculated – portraits, interiors, still life.

In 2009, I got a call from The Thing Quarterly. In their words it is an “OBJECT BASED PUBLICATION… EACH ISSUE IS CONCEIVED OF BY A DIFFERENT CONTRIBUTOR. THE OBJECT IS REPRODUCED, WRAPPED, AND SHIPPED TO THE SUBSCRIBERS.”   They were looking for a photographer to document their projects and events. Surprisingly some of the most rewarding work over the years since, has been covering their “wrapping parties.” Volunteers gather and work on assembling and packing the current issue for mailing to subscribers. The atmosphere is quite jovial and relaxed. It makes for some odd, yet lighthearted interactions.

I reconnected with the reason why I take pictures and what makes photography powerful in this unlikely place. Kudos go to the people at The Thing, founders Jonn Hershend and Will Rogan, for giving me the freedom to do what I do.

See the full album here – The The Quarterly Wrapping Parties

So To Speak, Episode 1… We Have Lift Off!

So To Speak is a short format interview series that sheds light on the creative process by sharing an artist’s experiences, opinions, and thoughts.

Scott Amendola is a drummer and composer. His latest record LIFT is a trio project with Jeff Parker on guitar and John Shiflett on bass. In this episode he talks about how he wrote the melody in ‘Lullaby For Sascha’, the closing track on LIFT.

So To Speak is a short format interview series that sheds light on the creative process by sharing an artist’s experiences, opinions, and thoughts.

Scott Amendola is a drummer and composer. His latest record LIFT is a trio project with Jeff Parker on guitar and John Shiflett on bass. In this episode he talks about how he makes the sonic loop in ‘Lullaby For Sascha’ with some bells and electronics.

For more about Scott – scottamendola.com

Unintended Fashion – Doo.Ri

“THE THING QUARTERLY IS AN OBJECT BASED PUBLICATION PRODUCED BY VISUAL ARTISTS JONN HERSCHEND AND WILL ROGAN. EACH ISSUE IS CONCEIVED OF BY A DIFFERENT CONTRIBUTOR. THE OBJECT IS REPRODUCED, WRAPPED, AND SHIPPED TO THE SUBSCRIBERS.”

I’ve been the unofficial official photographer for The Thing Quarterly for over a year now. They have a wrapping party for each issue. Many volunteers show up to assemble boxes and pack. There is always food, beer, and someone you haven’t seen in a while, so it’s actually more fun than work.

Most of the time I document the work of getting the issue boxed and ready for the post office. This time, the issue was wearable art created by the clothing design collaborative Doo.Ri., so I asked volunteers to model it. It’s a sheer white shirt with a “3-foot-long tag that hangs down the back of the shirt and includes every possible fabric, manufacturing location, and washing instruction ever listed on a shirt.”

 
– click to see a slide show of the portraits . . .

– click to learn more about this issue on The Thing Quarterly website

Culture Time

June 17, 2010 – The Thing Quarterly launches Issue 11 by Chris Johanson at SFMOMA

more info about The Thing

Chris Johanson's Hair

Alex Oropeza at SFMOMA for the Now Playing event on June 17, 2010

From the Garden of Memory concert at Chapel Of The Chimes in Oakland. I look forward to this event every year. Its a wonderful way to experience the Chapel Of The Chimes.

more info about Garden Of Memory

see another perspective in Suzy’s blog

Members of the public sing Pauline Oliveros' "Heart Chant."

Larry Ochs and Thomas Dimuzio at the Garden Of Memory concert at Chapel of the Chimes

Ken Ueno

My lovely son, Lucien