AMP

My new body of work ‘All Buildings Dream in Blueprints’ is opening this Friday, July 18th. Check it check it out if you can. Info here, quick write-up here.

‘Student Art Show’ – diazotype, 2008.

Wolfgang Tillmans – Freischwimmer 40

Joerg wrote an interesting piece over on Conscientious, and I feel like I should provide a slight counterpoint. Joerg makes some good points regarding the large-format, toy camera, and alternative process cults. All of those camps are watered down a bit by hobbyists who are involved because of the processes and equipment, not necessarily those bent on making great images.
However, I feel Joerg thinks art and craft are separable things–”For me, photography is an art form and not a craft…”. This is where I disagree. Art and craft, much like form and content, are just two parts of the same thing. No matter how great the image is, there is still craft in it’s output, i.e. the quality of it’s delivery. Granted, when a lot of things are being delivered via computer screens (a somewhat craft-less medium), craft is significantly diminished. In the end, though, there is no mistaking the difference between a quality print and a shitty one, and I’m sure Joerg would agree. As much as photography is about the image, it’s also about the craft. In fact, through working for a fine-art photographer, I’ve begun to realize how underestimated the craft is in some parts of the art world (notably in emerging artists + graduate students). When people are paying $$$ for your work, they expect quality, in both idea & form.