invited guest: Alyson Belcher

The Body
"My work combines pinhole photography with improvisational performance, and stems from the idea that everything we experience is stored somewhere in our bodies. Movement is one way to access and give visual form to what lies beneath the surface of the skin. The making of these photographs is an exploration of the nature of each movement and where it originates internally.











Because of the unpredictable nature of pinhole photography, there is no way to really know how an image will turn out. I don’t usually begin with a clearly defined idea. The images often reveal stories that may or may not have been known to me previously. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t my stories. Often the body remembers what the mind has forgotten.

The Camera
The pinhole camera is low tech; it is the most basic tool for making a photographic image. There is no lens to interfere with the light as it travels from the subject to the film. Because there is no viewfinder through which to preview the image, it’s a relatively blind process.

The element of time in pinhole photography allows something to arise that might never be revealed by modern photographic technology. The long exposure times give me an opportunity to explore the space in front of the camera. I may have the impulse to move, or I may chose to remain still- although the body is never completely still, and even the smallest movements leave traces on the film." - Alyson Belcher

Alyson Belcher graduated from San Francisco State University: MFA Photography in 1999. She has exhibited her work extensively in the San Fransisco area and elsewhere. Since 2000 she is teaching at the Academy of Art University, San Francisco Faculty, School of Photography. I highly recommend you to visit Alyson´s homepage. The design is great (easy to navigate!) and there is a lot more information to find about her work, pinhole photography etc.
invited by ulf fågelhammar