Dusk Wednesday
(Polaroid)
Impromptu studio moment
London, December 2011
Sorbet – new work
“Sorbet”
London, December 2011
www.julianbaker.com/photography/new-work
Sybawrite Tumblr
“On location”
There’s a tumblr too, not everything gets posted everywhere. WordPress is between work and play, Tumblr vents digital moments…
Kansas – new work
Kansas
London, January 2012
www.julianbaker.com/photography/new-work
Rong—Wrong reading at The Bokship
The inaugural edition of Rong—Wrong which features my short piece on The Pocket is to be presented and possibly read from at the rather splendid bookshop Bokship .
Due to commitments as they say I won’t be personally reading but my voice may be heard muttering in the background via the technological power of mp3.
A PROTRACTED AND SUBTRACTED CONFESSION
(BINOCULAR AESTHETICS)
Rong—Wrong Volume No.1 (presentation and reading)
21–01–2012
6–9 pm
X Marks the Bokship
210/Unit 3 Cambridge Heath Road
London E2 9NQ
Further and repeating information here.
Harvest – a new portrait
“Harvest”
Dorset, December 2011
www.julianbaker.com/photography/new-work
Nude closeup – the book out now
Nude Closeup edited by EG Irwin
I have two portraits in the book “Nude Closeup” from Desert Lily Press, edited by EG Irwin. It’s available from Publishers Graphics for $47.50
www.publishersgraphicsbookstore.com/Nude-Closeup_p_83473.html
Highlighting the photographic art of contributors from around the globe, Nude Closeup boldly explores the remarkable details of the human form and artistic vision in a way never done before. Selected from the best work on flickr, Model Mayhem, and other sources, this volume brings permanence and depth to the ever shifting sands of online photosharing. Ranging from subtle to edgy, this collection will expand your vision of what nude art photography is today.
Google books allows you to have a peek, although not at my entries.
Willow outtake
Outtake from a shoot today. Instragram on the iPhone. Hair by Katkinoko.
Words
Purloined from www.crapgraffiti.com
Although it’s an urban myth that there are hundreds of eskimo words for snow, in reality the Inuit having approximately the same number for it as the English language… and while it’s true that Turkish has more than one word for love: for love can be of one’s country, of God, of your parents, even coffee, they use a particular word to mean the love of that special one in your life.Whilst all this is true to fully see the richness, the inventiveness, the breadth and imagination of the human language we only have to think of the myriad names we give our sexual parts.
Pairing – Fabio Viale vs. Rasha Kahil
(Fabio Viale) Souvenir David 2006 | (Rasha Kahil) Untitled (le cul) 2010
Fabio Viale “Souvenir David” White marble, 25 x 20 x 18 cm, 2006
Rasha Kahil “le cul” Carved gypsum, approx 30 x 25 cm 2010
“Inflate” at the National Portrait Gallery
My portrait “Inflate” from the Skintones series goes on show this Thursday at the National Portrait Gallery. Its been selected for inclusion in the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2011 and will be on display till 12 February 2012, after that it tours nationwide.
Go along and see it, not only is it much bigger in real life than on your computer screen (and seeing things for real is nice) but there will be loads of other great portraits to view as well. And the restaurant is good.
The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2011 offers a unique opportunity to see sixty works by some of the most exciting contemporary portrait photographers from around the world.
Through editorial, advertising and fine art images, the entrants have explored a range of themes, styles and approaches to the contemporary photographic portrait, from formal commissioned portraits of public figures to more spontaneous and intimate moments capturing friends and family.
This year the competition attracted over 6,000 submissions from 2,506 photographers ranging from gifted amateurs and talented young students to established professionals. The selected works for the exhibition, many of which are on display for the first time, include the five prize-winners and the winner of the ELLE commission.
www.npg.org.uk:8080/photoprize/site11/index.php
Lovers #5 – a new portrait from the Coupled series
“Coupled, Lovers #5”
London, October 2011
From the “Coupled” series
Flashing Bodies Action #8
Flashing Bodies: Action Eight ‘Censura Emocional’ Day #01: The Body
Flashing Bodies is an initiative from Completely Naked artists Pau Ros, Pablo Goikoetxea and Rania Bellou staging nude interventions in public spaces.
www.completelynaked.co.uk/action0008.html
Images from Flashing Bodies Action Eight “Censura Emocional” which took place in Évora, Portugal this September are now online. A series of books are also available.
On Rod Stewart and The killing of Georgie
1976. Tom Robinson was yet to sing if you’re glad to be gay and Kenny Everett camped it up on TV without coming out. Being gay was criminal in Scotland and illegal under 21 in England. Queer bashing was common place (a worrying trend chav culture is bringing back).
Rod Stewart. Famous for marrying beautiful blondes, pissing it up, playing football, wearing tartan. The archetypical lad.
He writes ”The killing of Georgie Parts I & II”. What’s so unusual about this song (to this day) is unlike Robinson’s carrion call using gay as activist, or disco’s glamour (think Sylvester equating gay with camp and frivolity), here is a song where the fact that the protagonist is homosexual is incidental. Where the gay is un-sensationalised.
The lyrics are not about Georgie being queer. His sexuality is mentioned only in relation to the effect on his life story, and the story told because he has been murdered. His death is unrelated to being gay, he is killed by muggers for money, not hatred.
Something we might expect from Orphans and Vandals today but not Rod Stewart in 1976.
It is a threnody to a lost friend, his homosexuality is merely a matter of fact, an everyday occurrence, far less unusual than death from violent robbery. Looking at our TV today, violent robbery predominates popular shows and yet a gay character still accrues column inches.
Quite remarkable that a straight man, a “lad” should write such lyrics and never ask for any gayness in it’s content to be made a song and dance over. It’s sometimes mistaken as an anthem against homophobia (the only mention is Georgie’s father). Mojo magazine asked him why he wrote a song with a gay theme, note rather than a song about a pal’s murder. “That was a true story about a gay friend of The Faces. He was especially close to me and Mac. But he was shot or knifed, I can’t remember which. That was a song I wrote totally on me own over the chord of open E.”
Mojo still obsess and asks about writing a song with gay content, Stewart said, “It’s probably because I was surrounded by gay people at that stage. I had a gay PR man, a gay manager. Everyone around me was gay. I don’t know whether that prompted me into it or not. I think it was a brave step, but it wasn’t a risk.”
Something in this song makes me tear up every time I hear it. On a side note it’s rather amusing and ironic that Rod himself appears to completely camp it up during the video.
Portrait for SpcEco’s new CD “You tell me”
SpcEco “You tell me”
For the last few months I’ve been kick starting my mornings by blasting out SpcEco’s “Big Fat World”. Aural caffeine.
So when asked if I would shoot a portrait of their singer for use on the sleeve’s front it would have been rather churlish to say no. So I did (shoot one that is).
The label XD Records have just announced that the CD is available for pre-order. If you fancy a lovely minted printed copy from a limited edition of 100, rather than just bits, head over to www.xdrecords.net/shop and pre-order yours for a very reasonable $10.
Pairing – Jenny Holzer vs. Marc Jacobs
(Jenny Holzer) Untitled (Men Don't Protect You Anymore) | (Marc Jacobs) Condoms
Jenny Holzer “Untitled (Men Don’t Protect You Anymore)” 1983-85
Marc Jacobs “Condom” 2008
www.artmetropole.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=shop.FA_dsp_browse_details
kemperartmuseum.wustl.edu/collection/explore/artwork/6409
www.marcjacobs.com/lookbooks/special-items/
Marc Jacobs photograph by Brenda Ton www.flickr.com/photos/nerb
Work showing at Paris nofound photofair
Carpaccio magazine – the new birth issue
My work included in issue six will be featured as part of Carpaccio Magazine & Atem Books Retrospective: 2009-2011 Birds – (Video), being screened as part of the Black Box programme at the nofound photofair.
nofound_photofair, in partnership with the TV channel Souvenirs from Earth, is pleased to announce the launch of the project The Black Box. Located in the heart of the exhibition space of contemporary photography fair nofound_photofair, The Black Box is designed to promote the work of the most active photo curators on the Internet through multimedia projects (slideshows, interactive exhibitions, etc.).
— THE BLACK BOX
The Black Box is a 10 sqm booth closed in darkness. Fully equipped with sound and HD video, it is flexible according to the proposed projects.— WHERE AND WHEN?
The programme of The Black Box will be displayed in a loop during the entire time of the fair nofound_photofair.
www.nofoundphotofair.com
11th to 14th November 2011, Garage Turenne, Paris
Pairing – Stephanie Metz vs. Etienne Gros
(Stephanie Metz) Shameless | (Etienne Gros) Mousse 19
Stephanie Metz “Shameless” Felted wool 17 1/2″H x 9″W x 5″D 2003
Etienne Gros “Mousse 19” Mousse polyester 30 x 22cm, 11.8/8.8in
Nude Closeup – the book
Nude Closeup edited by EG Irwin
I have two portraits in the forthcoming book “Nude Closeup” edited by EG Irwin, to be published early November from Publishers Graphics.
Sourced from online portfolios it promises the subtle to edgy. More details and purchasing information as and when available.
FlashGlamTrash Pairing
Camera Choreography 76”x100” (Joan Semmel) | My Weekly Upload (Hester Scheurwater)
Joan Semmel “Camera Choreography” Oil on canvas 76”x100”
Hester Scheurwater “My Weekly Upload” Digital photograph
www.flashglamtrash.com
web.me.com/jsemmel/web.me.com_jsemmel/JOAN_SEMMEL.html
www.hesterscheurwater.com
hesterscheurwater.tumblr.com
“What’s wrong with being on the other side of the camera?”
Publicity still for Flashing Bodies action #8. Photography by Pau Ros
There is that running joke said whenever someone introduces themselves with “I’m a nude photographer” but whenever I meet someone who does art nudes I find myself prone to ask “Would you pose nude?”.
(By the way I don’t take art nudes – I take photographs of naked people). Terry Richardson perhaps a little too famously, Helmut Newton yes, that’s about all I can think of. There are of course quite a few women photographers who have appeared nude, the majority of which has migrated from modeling to directing.
“What’s wrong with being on the other side of the camera?” asks Betty Schaefer of Joe Gillis in “Sunset Boulevard”.
It’s occurred to me that you shouldn’t ask others to do what you’re not willing to do oneself. The aforementioned
two ducked the issue slightly by doing a self-portrait: where one is in control of the environment and perhaps more crucially of the choice and production of the released image. To truly go the other side of the camera means being a model for another photographer.
Pau Ros is one half of Completely Naked, a naked performance troupe who recently staged their action #8 in Portugal. Publicity material was needed as part of the run up to the event. It seemed only fair that I should put myself where others tread on my behalf. To be shot naked where I had no jurisdiction over the final image.
To be honest I had posed for them before as a “moral experiment” to put myself on the far side of the lens but didn’t propagate the fact. Which on reflection seems only half the process. The other is a willing public dissemination; releasing the nudity.
The curious can see more from the shoot by repeatedly reloading the event page and the truly adventurous can view the material from the public intervention action #7 I first participated in at the Elephant and Castle. Those familiar with my work may recognise a few faces (or other parts).
Publicity still for Flashing Bodies action #8. Photography by Pau Ros
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