invited guest: Agnieszka Sym

Agnieszka Sym, born in Warsaw, living and taking pictures there: in urban space, on the streets, without one-dimensional theme, with subjects that were interesting for her. She is an amateur (remember: from French – lover of) photographer, doesn’t have to make assignments, doesn’t take photos for anyone else then herself, can go her own way. Some of us find on that photos moments, which otherwise will be unnoticed, even if those moments are funny, irrational or from other point of view – just interesting and worth to be photographed.

invited by Marcin Górski

Gliwice House of Photography: Sylwia Biernacka talks of Sophie Calle

Sophie Calle is a French writer, photographer, installation artist, and conceptual artist. Calle’s work is distinguished by its use of arbitrary sets of constraints, and evokes the French literary movement of the 1960s known as Oulipo. Her work frequently depicts human vulnerability, and examines identity and intimacy. She is recognized for her detective-like ability to follow strangers and investigate their private lives. Her photographic work often includes panels of text of her own writing.
Calle began working as an artist in the 1970s, after traveling the world for seven years. When she returned to Paris, the city in which she was born, she recalls feeling isolated and lost; this isolation inspired her to investigate the lives of the people around her. Her first photographs were of graves marked simply mother and father.
Although much of her work employs voyeurism, Calle has allowed her own life to be put on display as well. She became so intrigued by following her unwitting subjects that she wanted to reverse the relationship, and become the subject herself. She asked her mother to hire a private detective to follow her, without the detective knowing that she had arranged it, with the hopes that his investigation would provide photographic evidence of her existence.

Sylwia Nikko Biernacka - absolvent of Social Sciences Department of Poznań University, photographer, creator of Machina Fotografika Foundation

never in the limelight

I like people for their weaknesses and faults. I get on well with ordinarypeople. We talk. We start with the weather, and little by little we get to
the important things.

When I photograph them it is not as if I were examining them with a
magnifying glass, like a cold and scientific observer. It's very brotherly.
And it's better, isn't it, to shed some light on those people who are never
in the limelight.
-Robert Doisneau

more photo quotes on www.photoquotes.com

Dude on the other side

who never crosses . . .
© Jeanne Wells

tale around midnight...

Nobuyoshi Araki preview

From Last Summer, 2004–05 by Nobuyoshi Araki

Two major exhibitions of photography will open in Kulturhuset, Stockholm
this autumn, both in September. The F Blog has already told you about
Martin Parr - pictures 1971-2000 opening 1 September. Nobuyoshi Araki
from Japan is like Martin Parr one of the most influential current
photographers. The exhibition ARAKI- Self.Life.Death will open
29 September. You will find more about these two exhibitions later
this summer on The F Blog.

Students from Kulturama Photography School exhibit their work

Picture by ©Felix Bridell

14 students from Kulturama Photography School are holding their vernissage at CFF - Centrum för fotografi on 14 June hrs 17 00 - 21 00. The Ukrainian born photographer Misha Pedan has been their teacher and mentor. The exhibition will be on show until 1 July.

In to the polish light

invited guest: Shannon Richardson

Texas is a Fine Place to Die
These photographs are from an ongoing project of documenting small
towns in the texas panhandle as they were years ago. Despite the
modernity that has been inevitable, these places still hold the essence
of a time gone by.















Pictures and text by ©Shannon Richardson
www.shannonrichardson.com
invited by ulf fågelhammar

Colourbox scenery (v)

Noordwijk Party Time

Almanac Magazine

Have a look at Almanac Magazine - a monthly online publication.
"Almanac Magazine upholds the value of photography as an
artistic and historical expression on countless subjects and
circumstances that surround all of us."
/Quoted from "About us"

June Issue is out now.
Go to www.almanacmagazine.com

Walking with Urbano

A more than memorable day!

Tiananmen

The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 were a series of demonstrations led by students, intellectuals, and labour activists in the People's Republic of China (PRC) between April 15, 1989 and June 5, 1989. While the protests lacked a unified cause or leadership, participants were generally critical of the ruling Chinese Communist Party and voiced complaints ranging from minor criticisms to calls for full-fledged democracy and the establishment of broader freedoms. The demonstrations centred on Tiananmen Square in Beijing, but large-scale protests also occurred in cities throughout China, including Shanghai, which stayed peaceful throughout the protests. In Beijing, the resulting military crackdown on the protesters by the PRC government left many civilians dead or injured. The toll ranges from 200–300 (PRC government figures), to 400–800 by The New York Times, and to 2,000–3,000 (Chinese student associations and Chinese Red Cross), although the PRC government asserts and most independent observers agree that the majority of these deaths were not in the square itself but rather in the streets leading to the square (by wikipedia).

After this tragedy PRC government kept the citizens in iron abrace and on every step demonstrated it's power.
Pictures shown below were made in June 1990 at Tiananmen

pictures © by Marcin Górski

invited guest: Tread

Photographs are a form of reference. Where you were, who was there,
what you were doing. But on occasion, as art, photographs transcend
mere reference and like a great song, can make that moment "something
more." That "something more" is the ongoing motivation within my work.



I am but a self-taught photographer and self-proclaimed smart-ass. When not
wasting film in musty, archaic, plastic toy cameras, long sleepless nights are
spent watching bad movies with titles like "The World’s Greatest Sinner" and
"Blood Feast." These bad movies and their zero budget cinematography, no
doubt, have influenced my work in some way, but so has fellow Kentuckian
Ralph Eugene Meatyard.



Black & White and Color photography, captured non-digitally, printed
traditionally using (gasp) silver and paper. Themes in obvious dichotomy.
Intimacy vs. Isolation. Love vs. Indifference. Here vs. There. I want to
convey a "southern-ness" in my work without using a sledgehammer.
I am preaching that "The South" isn't a cliche' ridden also-ran of a culture,
more than any other place on earth it is full of subtle beauty, wonderful
characters and strange wonder. I am the South, my children are,
we all are...or should be.



Tread was edumacated at the University of Kentucky. He can't find his
BS Degree in Computer Science from back when Fortran meant something...
or did it ever really? He barely eeks by as a graphic designer and marketing
dork in the healthcare world. No, I will not shoot your wedding.





web: www.gotreadgo.com
blog: http://gotreadgo.blogtog.com
email: tread[at]gotreadgo.com

Pictures and text by Tread
invited by ulf fågelhammar

Martin Parr preview

New Brighton, Merseyside, from "The Last Resort"©Martin Parr

Opening 1 September at Kulturhuset, Stockholm. Pictures by Martin Parr,
1971-2000. Stay tune to the F Blog for more about this event.

Lukewarm foresummer nights

Lukewarm foresummer nights... You know the kind, the one that warms the
soul, but sends the cold shivering down your body, making your nose run.
Picture and text by Morgan Malaska

Prins Eugen's Eks

Your country is so beautiful, my gratitude to you all. And to Prins Eugen, too, of course. And whoever came up with painting the fence that way . . .

Universal declaration in 366 languages

Some of the postings lately on the F blog, not least by Arek Gola,
have made me think of an important document; The Universal
Declaration of Human Rights.

On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations
adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
the full text of which appears in the following pages. Following this
historic act the Assembly called upon all Member countries to
publicize the text of the Declaration and "to cause it to be
disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools
and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the
political status of countries or territories."

Here are three of the articles in English and Article 1 in Spanish,
Polish, Portugese and Swedish.

Article 1
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act
towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in
this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race,
colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national
or social origin, property, birth or other status.

Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political,
jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to
which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust,
non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

Article 19
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression;
this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference
and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through
any media and regardless of frontiers.

Article 1 (Spanish,Polish,Portugese, Swedish)

Todos los seres humanos nacen libres e iguales en dignidad
y derechos y, dotados como están de razón y conciencia,
deben comportarse fraternalmente los unos con los otros.

Wszyscy ludzie rodzą się wolni i równi pod względem swej
godności i swych praw. Są oni obdarzeni rozumem i sumieniem
i powinni postępować wobec innych w duchu braterstwa.

Todos os seres humanos nascem livres e iguais em dignidade
e em direitos. Dotados de razão e de consciência, devem agir
uns para com os outros em espírito de fraternidade.

Alla människor är födda fria och lika i värde och rättigheter.
De har utrustats med förnuft och samvete och bör handla
gentemot varandra i en anda av gemenskap.

For more languages see www.unhchr.ch

-urbano

Eskilstuna

Hi Jeanne, do you recognize this place?

invited guest: Arkadiusz Gola - Karmańskie 2003

Last year of life of urban workers district called Karmańskie (Ruda Śląska, Upper Silesia, Poland).
Now, thru the place where they and their grandparents born and lived for a century, goes modern express way. Despite demolition works inhabitants of Karmańskie were trying to keep the contact with this place and keep up appearances of normality.
That street, that world survived just on Arek’s photographs. Nobody before felt like photographing those people, nobody after had a chance.


Arek Gola, Silesian journalist and photographer, who was already F blog guest, assisted with his camera to those people who suddenly lost their place on earth.

Those pictures are just part of big project, for me, one of most touching documents I’ve seen for ling time. Some of those pictures are harsh but true.

Invited by Marcin Górski

Sgt. Pepper celebrations

Listen to this documentary on BBC about the Sgt. Pepper's
Lonely Heart Club Band released 40 years ago.

The GURGLE conspiracy

Why is The Q Blog a part of GURGLE? You and your readers are
in jeopardy! GURGLE is gathering all kind of information about
you! They already know your shoesize, preferred B-movie,
coffee brand and much more stuff.
- Hasta La Vista Crew

We are aware of this. Thanks for reminding us. GURGLE is certainly
superiour to Hasta La Vista in finding out stuff about people.
But our plan is to go unplugged this summer. We have hired a
tent; "The F tent" There we will recite all the content of the blog
and show the pictures on real paper. This is our way to fight the
GURGLE conspiracy. They will not find us. But you will, dear readers!
- The Editors

the boy and the tree

prunes

I don' t like The P Blog. Not. At all. I was looking for pictures
by Henry Prune Robinson and his followers but found nothing.
It is a shame! Then you keep saying that a prune is a vegetable.
It.Is.Not! Now, do you have the book?

Gen. P. Off

i'm so vain

By carrier

Opening tomorrow: Le romané phirimàta

The exhibition "The Roma Journeys" by photographer Joakim Eskildsen
opens tomorrow at Kulturhuset, Stockholm. It´s a must see if you are in
town this summer.
-urbano
(picture by Joakim Eskildsen)

streetphoto for Marcinek

Unique exhibition, unique aim

Streetphoto for Marcinek is special exhibition organized by photographers for very ill child. Many photographers will show their works to help Marcinek - 4 years old boy suffering Down syndrome, heart diseases, epilepsy, hypothyroidism, hearing impairment…

More at www.marcinek.bee.pl

Where:
Winiarnia (parter)
ul. Solec 81 B C.H.Arkada, Warsaw

What:
vernissage 01.06.2007 at 18:00h
exhibition since 04.06.2007-28.06.2007, opened since Monday till Friday at 10-20

Who:
Anna Józefowicz

Kasia "Kalua" Kryńska
Alkos
Marcin Kuran
Marcin Płonka
Kuba Kamiński
Sylwester "Rozmi" Rozmiarek
Aleksander Lucis
Mariusz Forecki
Tomek Maciejewski
Piotr VASCO Wasilkowski

Why:

To help Marcinek and his family

F blog strongly recommends

Stare, pry, listen, eavesdrop

Stare. It is the way to educate your eye, and more.
Stare, pry, listen, eavesdrop. Die knowing something.
You are not here long.
-Walker Evans

more quotes www.photoquotes.com