Alec Soth

What artwork/proposals did you present?

The artwork that I showed Alec Soth the the photographs from my Bike Scene Topographies from last semester. But I also showed him the work that I had been attempting to create where I took apart bicycles and photographed single parts on a black white wall> I also showed him a dissected anthropological look at a skate board, which it seemed he liked the most out of any of the ready made work presented.

What topics did you discuss? What was the nature of this discussion?

The topics discussed were where the photographs could go from where they are. I felt that the photographs should go into a slightly more journalistic way with the use of hand written materials on the photographs as an experiment and to go out and shoot more people, and keep shooting as much as possible.

What were the critical reactions/ suggestions to your ideas/artwork?

A great suggestion from Alec was to re create the aesthetic of photographs of the DIY signage of "Jenny" and "Dig or Die" and make it into a book. Recreate with the electrical tape look with the white bordered and that punk rock look. He also suggested that I shoot some raw video with some of these environments or on a bike ride through some of these spaces or just video of the people that I am focusing on.

What was a suggested plan of action?

The suggested plan was to pretty much continue to follow my instincts in my photography and continue to build the body of work up. Possibly look into other veins of action, like the video or the ready made

What insights / new questions / ideas did you take from the meeting?
How did this meeting affect how you will proceed with your project / proposal?

The insights were the use of the DIY aesthetic with my work, and figuring out ways to incorporate those ideas into a working art piece. He also wanted the use of raw video to create more movement within my imagery. Idea = use that black electrical tape aesthetic with a book or some sort of ready made sign. It makes me want to get into the more nitty gritty of the culture and to reveal it through the photography.