It looks like Cindy Sherman and Loretta Lux dated and mated and birthed Alex Prager. Color me intrigued.

Lest you are confused by these photo booth portraits of Chris Mottlalini, the dude is not an ax-murderer, or a contemporary of Johnny Cash. Though he does have a lyrical knack for naming his photo projects-- winter city; the mistake by the lake; after you left, they took it apart.  In any case, Mottalini has been making some great work. I first came upon his pictures when several of his Buffalo bus-stop shelters (the mistake by the lake) were chose for AP24, and I've since become enthralled with his survey of doomed Paul Rudolph houses, and his recordings of some of the demolitions. I was appalled last week at that New Canaan lady who's thinking about knocking down her Philip Johnson house, and these strike a similar nerve. Mottalini is a great sport and answered all of my questions, including the one about a sandwich.


How did you get started shooting the Paul Rudolph houses (how many are there), and what has the journey of photographing them been like? How did you gain access? Have you been present at any of the demolitions?

I photographed my first Paul Rudolph house at the very end of 2006.  I actually happened upon the project pretty much completely by chance; A friend of a friend worked for the Paul Rudolph Foundation and needed some photos of a Rudolph house in Westport, CT, which was about to be demolished.  To be honest, I knew very little about Rudolph and Modernist architecture when I first set foot inside of the Westport house. I was instantly hooked and fascinated, though, and I've probably thought about Paul Rudolph and his work every day since. 

Rudolph completed over 100 projects in his lifetime, from Texas to Singapore, but the Westport house is my absolute favorite.  Even though it no longer exists, my pictures at least serve as a sort of photographic preservation. I was present (and sort of wish that I was not) at the demolition....the street was blocked by the overly aggressive owners and the cops, but I managed to catch a few glimpses of the garage and the front of the house as they were being caved in. A McMansion is currently being built on the site.



Paul Rudolph House, Westport, CT 1972-2007



Paul Rudolph House, Westport, CT 1972-2007



Paul Rudolph House, Westport, CT 1972-2007


Over the past year I photographed thirteen Rudolph projects, including the demolished homes in Westport, CT; Westerly, RI; and Siesta Key, FL.  Many were iconic projects and the existence of one of them was unknown even to the Paul Rudolph Foundation. Once I realized that I was obsessed with documenting these houses, I was able to gain access through the Paul Rudolph Foundation (even still, though, I was ejected by cops from the property of the Westport, CT house). The experience of just being able to wander through these amazing, vanished homes all by myself and to have that privilege because I take pictures, was fantastic.



Paul Rudolph House, Siesta Key, FL 1941-2007



Paul Rudolph House, Siesta Key, FL 1941-2007



Paul Rudolph House, Siesta Key, FL 1941-2007



Paul Rudolph House, Westerly, RI 1956-2007



Paul Rudolph House, Westerly, RI 1956-2007


How long will your project continue? What has your experience been with the foundation?

Seriously, the project will probably continue as long as I am taking pictures.  Even now, several other Rudolph projects are slated for demolition and, unless some type of preservation-based legislation specific to mid-century homes is put in place, it won't stop and will only get worse. Can't stop the progress, apparently.


Paul Rudolph House, Larchmont, NY




Paul Rudolph House, Larchmont, NY



Paul Rudolph House, Newtown, PA

The Pennsylvania house is the secret, never photographed project the Rudolph Foundation didn't even know about.  Apparently, the husband did a lot of the stonework by himself and his wife told me a story about him doing the work on their bedroom, in the dead of winter, while she read the entirety of Anna Karenina aloud from their bed.



Paul Rudolph House, Newtown, PA


Your recent series "mistake by the lake" was featured in AP24. How does Buffalo figure into your work, and why do you think you're attracted to compiling photographs of similar structures? Is architectural history a specific interest of yours?

I completed "The Mistake by the Lake" this winter, and it's my first and only project about my hometown of Buffalo.  It's a photographic record of the strange and amazing assortment of school bus stop shelters which dot the greater-Buffalo landscape. Parents build these shelters in order to protect their children from the brutal winters, though I've never actually seen them being utilized. I guess I needed to be away from that area for a while, because over the fifteen years I lived there, I don't think I ever once noticed a single school bus stop shelter.  They just blended into the background. It took my living in Colorado, Sweden and finally New York to finally notice them.

 



I'm really drawn to photo projects based on repetition.  I like documenting things to excess.  There's something about shooting a ton of similar structures...I like the repetition and the simplicity and I like how it allows for the slight differences in each picture to really become noticeable.  The whole project was basically an exercise in repetition, in that I just drove around every day, for months, just looking for bus shelters.  Some days I would find ten shelters and some days none. 

I've always been interested in architecture and structures but-- until recently, only superficially. This past year, because of my recent projects, I've realized how much I like documenting these houses, buildings and weird shelters. I set out to make portraits of architecture and I really think it's better that I not know as much as I could about architecture and architectural photography. It keeps things a bit more mysterious that way. 

 
You shoot digitally, and in 35 mm format, which is not typical of architectural photography. How does it serve your purpose to be fast and loose with the imagery? It somehow seems fitting, with the danger these houses are in. The images seem more fleeting to me.

I do shoot digital 35mm format (Canon 1DS Mark 111) and I really love it when it comes to architecture and structures. I like using the same format, same camera, even the same lens for every picture I take. I hate tr ipods, I'm not really all that interested in the traditional process, and I love being able to just roam freely around the houses.  It feels more adventurous and emotional to me.  A little sneaky, too.  I'm mostly interested in spontaneity (which is what I feel is missing from most architectural photography) and being able to shoot quickly. 


What other projects are you working on?

In keeping with my Scandinavian and architectural fascinations, my next project will be about Leif Erikson's Viking settlement in Newfoundland. It'll be cold there, too, so that's a plus.  Otherwise, I've been shooting a bunch of assignments, I'm trying to find a good home for "The Mistake by the Lake" and I'm also putting together a collection of photos I found of Hasidic Jews engaged in recreational activities and basically living it up. They 're really beautiful. 


I hear there's a sandwich named after you. Discuss.

That's my legacy you're talking about. I used to work at Red Bamboo (a vegetarian/vegan restaurant) in the West Village. One day the owner was trying to cheat me out of something and I told him that he owed me and that I wanted him to name a sandwich after me.  So, "The Mottalini" was born. I didn't design it, or anything, but I did have the pleasure of hearing about fifty people-per-day totally butcher the pronunciation of my last name.  Glad I don't work there anymore.


See more Mottalinis (the pictures, not the sandwich) here.

Two examples of the future of graphics online. We'll do this in a friendly low-brow/high-brow format.

First, low-brow. Knickerpicker. The name sort of says it all. You can choose a lady and tell her what to put on for you. Reminds me a bit of the bunny ranch. But still, helpful if you're in the market for knickers and you want to see what they'd look like on someone hotter than you.

Here's the question: If you have your pictures taken by an AP photographer, are you still "uncontacted"?

Jason Nocito has the musician portrait down. He's not kidding around. No frills, not even flashlights, maybe just some wind in your hair if you're a lady. Well, a lot of wind. And the more hair the better.

Seriously, though. This man has developed what seems to be a rather foolproof formula. And the editors at these magazines are psyched.

I know this was a viral video a few years ago, but I can't resist posting it, especially today. And really, does it ever get old?

I was looking through New York Magazine the other day, and stopped short when I came upon this image of Scarlett Johansson. It appeared to be a promo shot for her new album of Tom Waits covers, but how could it be? It's so beautiful! And so different than normal promo shots. I headed to the gutter credit and found Brea Souders' name. Turns out, according to her blog, that Souders has done a number of Johansson portraits; there was also one in French Vogue and one in Paste. But there was primarily (very beautiful) personal work on her site. I hit the email to get the lowdown.


I've seen a number of images of Scarlett that you shot for her upcoming album; how did you get involved with this project?

My involvement with the project was through a personal connection. My friend Dave Sitek produced the record and based on other work he had seen of mine, he thought that I would be the right match to create some of the artwork for it. The record was created in the Louisiana bayou with a small crew of people and it has a curious, intimate sound that Scarlett and the label wanted to translate into the artwork. I was initially asked to create a diorama of the bayou for the cd packaging and that led to my photographing her in a way that worked with the diorama I was creating.








I was hesitant at first to get involved in that way, because I had all of these notions about what it must be like to photograph a celebrity, but it ended up with us spending the day driving around admiring the landscape and picking out places that grabbed us, and photographing mostly in a spontaneous way, without the entourage and stress that I initially feared.




The images in Paste came out of the photo shoot that I did for the record label. Originally, I was only shooting for the cd packaging, but there were a lot of extra photos left over from the shoot that they liked and decided to use some of those for promotion.




from French Vogue



Tell me how you shot the image I fell in love with (the one up top).

That image was shot at night, just using a simple flashlight as the light source. I almost always prefer to use natural light when I can. And if it's shot at night, then I'll use a flashlight because that is the natural way we would look at something in the dark. Most of the images that I shot of her were either photographed at night with a flashlight, or in a forest with light streaming through the treetops, and no other light source. We chased the light a good amount, and she was a good sport.


 

Do you do a lot of editorial work? I see mostly personal work on your website; how do you balance the two?

Before this project, I wasn't really pursuing editorial work. This came out of the blue and I thought it seemed like a good match for me in terms of my personal interests and photographic style.  It turned out to be a really fun, interesting experience and it opened my mind to doing more editorial work in the future. I think it can be really challenging to balance editorial and personal work, when the aesthetic and conceptual demands of editorial clash with your own interests. The worry is that too much cookie-cutter editorial work will negatively influence your personal projects. Of course that's why everyone hopes someone like Kathy Ryan will call and offer an assignment. A director that appreciates a photographer's unique voice and can pair it with an interesting story or subject is a rare gem, and the most inspired work comes out of those pairings. Given the right circumstances, I think editorial jobs can expand your thoughts and even lead to new personal projects. In the end, It all depends on the assignment, but I'd love to pursue more work of this kind.




Eggshells, 2008


Caught, 2008

Delicious Wood-Nymphery!

Today on the blog we're going to be exploring the partnership between photographers and musicians, and our first example is the new video collaboration between Ryan McGinley and Icelandic band Sigur Rós. You can see it here. Beware, there are boobs, ie:






The result is especially fun, because it basically reads as a behind-the-scenes piece on the making of McGinley's work. I am a big fan of the latest McGinley project "I Know Where the Summer Goes"; there are some really beautiful images. I especially like the vertical, falling figures. You can see more here.


 











McGinley even has installation shots from the show on his site. Love that.

Photo by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information, April 1943.


Okey doke, we all know nothing in life is accomplished without a little elbow grease, so take a look at these calls for entry and do your worst. And make sure to check back to this list as well, especially if you're a photojournalist.


ADC Young Guns



The ADC Young Guns competition, hosted by the Art Directors Club based in New York, has made it their mission to recognize and rally around the brightest young professionals working internationally across a multitude of creative disciplines.

Entries to Young Guns 6 are now open to creative professionals under 30 who are producing work of a high standard and have at least two years of professional experience under their belts.

Fifty winners, as selected by a panel of Young Guns alumni, will have their work showcased in a gallery exhibition in New York later this year, published in a limited edition ADC book and will receive a 1 year membership to the premiere creative collective organization.



The 24th Annual PDN/Nikon Self-Promotion Awards

All Winners in first, second and third will be featured in /PDN/'s October 2008 issue, on PDNonline and at the Awards Ceremony during PDN's PhotoPlus Expo International on October 23 to 25, 2008.

The Grand Prize Winner will receive a Nikon Digital SLR Camera and a portfolio on PhotoServe.com

First Place winners will receive a Nikon camera and a portfolio on PhotoServe.com.


The Camera Club of New York's National Photography Competition

-Each entry to consist of 6 digital images.
-Application fee is $40.00.
-Deadline for receipt of entry is (postmarked) June 30, 2008.
-Chosen artist will receive a one-person exhibition in our gallery and a cash award of $300.00.
-Other finalists will participate in a group show.


The West Prize

The West Prize will be awarded to ten international emerging artists in 2008. The prize will award $100,000 in acquisitions between the finalists and host a finalist TEN exhibition with accompanying publication. A grand prize winner will be chosen from among the finalists to receive a $25,000 cash prize in addition to a West Collection Acquisition.


National Portrait Gallery Competition

The National Portrait Gallery invites artists all over America to investigate the contemporary art of the portrait for the second Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, to be held in 2009. The competition and resulting exhibition will celebrate excellence and innovation, with a strong focus on the variety of portrait media used by artists today. The National Portrait Gallery welcomes single figures, groups, or self-portraits--from classical drawing and painting or hyperrealistic sculpture to large-scale photography to prints and new media. The competition is named for Virginia Outwin Boochever (1920-2005), a former Portrait Gallery volunteer whose generous gift has endowed this program.

There's a bunch of new things to apply to, and there will be a bigger listing later today. But first, a mini-interview (miniview?) with William Etundi, Jr., one of the founders of Artists Wanted. From the Call for Entries:


3rd Ward is sponsoring Artists Wanted's latest call for new art. EXPOSURE is a nation-wide open call for photography and a search for photographers of all backgrounds who speak exquisitely in the language of lenses and aperture. The top photographer will have their work presented in a massive scale photo show on buildings in the top New York City art districts: Chelsea, Dumbo and Williamsburg. Their work will also be featured at an opening event at the Leo Kesting Gallery in Manhattan on August 9th and they will receive: $2,008 cash, a full-press promotional campaign and a feature in our upcoming publication, "The Annual". Several other prizes include a $1,000 scholarship, two $500 discretionary grants, as well as features in "The Annual". Visit Artists Wanted for more information.


*DEADLINE: June 17th



Tell me about the Exposure competition. What type of work do you hope to glean from it?

Several members of our staff are photographers so it holds an important place in our hearts. But more importantly, it has an important function in our culture. We communicate more and more through images each day. Images have the power to reach people in ways that words alone cannot. Their impact is subtle and emotional.

We are interested in art that is powerful both in its impact and its reach. We are not interested in one type of photography but in images that exemplify this power. Submissions will be rated on originality, craftsmanship, composition, and ambition.


What made you decide to show the winning images at such a large scale? Will work that performs well large therefore be favored, and how will that same work translate to the Leo Kesting gallery?

Part of what sets Artists Wanted apart from traditional art outlets is we try to present great work in unique ways. With this competition, we want to show one photographer's work in the largest most ambitious way we could think of. Showing the work via massive projections in the three top art neighborhoods will get our winning artist attention from the traditional art world, the press and the many thousands of random people who will happen by. We want to create an over-the-top event that really launches someone's career.

The core goal of Artists Wanted is to find novel ways of helping great talent skip the challenges and road blocks that the traditional art world puts up. With us, it's not about who you know or who you've worked for, it's simply about finding great talent and getting their work seen.

We also understand that there is an existing infrastructure in place in the art world and it is important to us to offer the selected photographers a traditional gallery show. At a gallery, the viewer will have a totally different experience with the work, even if they've already seen it projected. We want to make a big bang and get the best of both worlds.

Everyone knows I love a floater, so when M. Scott Brauer commented on the Chinese photography post and said he wished I'd included Li Wei, I grabbed the folder of Wei's work that's been burning a hole on my desktop and uploaded it with glee.

Wei is a photographer and performance artist who puts himself in gravity-defying poses, often with the use of harnesses. Thirty-seven-year-old Wei intentionally seeks to surprise and shock the viewer:

"The first reaction is astonishment. Some people think they are full of sense of humor. They are curious about how I did this. Sometimes I am in real danger; I have to hang myself high with steel wires and people do get a little worried for me, but I am fine. My work and artistic experience are characterized by a unique specificity and particularity. My artistic language is universal and deals with themes about contemporary politics and society using symbols understood by everyone in every part of the world. I am fascinated by the unstable and dangerous sides of art and I hope my works reflect these aspects."

Watch and listen to National Geographic photographer David Doubilet introduce the Nudibranch here. I promise it will knock your socks off!

Notable quotes:


"Of all the creatures in the sea, these are the high fashion models."

"Nudibranchs have a marvelous sex life. They are hermaphrodites."



Doubilet built a seamless studio to photograph these Nudibranchs. There's nothing like a soft, seagoing slug!


Nembrotha kubaryana

Cuthona sp.

we don't stay up too late.