Taryn Simon, White Tiger (Kenny), Selective Inbreeding, from An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar
I'm as big a fan of ICP as anyone, having been a grad student and then an administrator at the school for almost five years, but boy oh boy are those Infinity Awards a little rich for the likes of me! Tonight is the official gala event at Pier Sixty, and if you'd like to go, you may purchase a ticket for $1000. The benefit committee includes many fine folks; some of the names that pop out: Calvin Klein, Iman, and Karen & William Lauder.
Even when I was an employee at ICP, these awards were elusive and mysterious, and tickets were not procurable. I think the assistants in the membership department were allowed to go and take coats. The nominating and selection committees are quite expansive, though, including Lesley Martin of Aperture, Jody Quon of New York Magazine, Alanna Heiss from P.S.1, Vladmir Birgus from the Prague Biennale Photo, and Stuart Alexander from Christies. See the whole list here.
The expressed point of the Infinity Awards, which were inaugurated in 1985, is to "bring public attention to outstanding achievements in photography by honoring individuals with distinguished careers in the field and by identifying future luminaries."
And here are the official selections:
Young Photographer: Mikhael Subotsky
Writing: Bill Jay
Publication: An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar by Taryn Simon
Art: Edward Burtynsky
Photojournalism: Anthony Suau
Applied/fashion/advertising photography: Craig McDean
The trustees also made three selections:
The Lifetime Achievement Award: Malick Sidibé
Cornell Capa Award: René Burri
ICP Trustees Award: Diane Keaton
I do love Diane Keaton, but I'm more enamored of the work by Taryn Simon, whose honored book An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar is truly fascinating and visually compelling. Shot almost entirely with a view camera, the 70 images documents "rarely seen sites from domains including: science, government, medicine, entertainment, nature security and religion. This index examines subjects that, while provocative or controversial, are currently legal."
A small selection:
Avian Quarantine Facility, Newburgh, NY
Forensic Anthropology Research Facility, Decomposing Corpse, Knoxville, TN
Live HIV, HIV Research Laboratory, Boston, MA
Transatlantic Submarine Cables Reaching Land, Avon, NJ
Death-Row Outdoor Recreational Facility, "The Cage", Mansfield, OH
Contraband Room, United States Customs and Border Protection, Queens, NY
Cherenkov Radiation, Nuclear Waste Storage Facility, Hanford, WA
Maybe Taryn can break out her camera and get us a rare shot from inside the Infinity Awards Gala tonight (presumably she's invited).
UPDATE:
Daryl has some nice tidbits and goss about the scene at the awards. Some of the juice:
"Among the many photo hotshots in attendance were Gregory Crewdson, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Walter Iooss, Neil Leifer, Mary Ellen Mark, Steve McCurry, Susan Meiselas, Martin Parr, Sylvia Plachy and Getty Images CEO Jonathan Klein.
One the menu: pan-seared Pacific halibut, hunter-style French breast of chicken with herbed soft polenta, and ricotta cheesecake with toasted almond ice cream. In the gift bag: Godiva and Estée Lauder.
The ICP Trustees Award went to actress Keaton, a longtime photo collector and editor of several books of photographs, who recently donated an archive of Bill Woods prints to ICP. Dressed in a white blouse and black polka-dotted Fifties-style circle skirt, she delivered a giddy speech about how photography has inspired her, beginning with her mother's scrapbooking."
Cherenkov Radiation, Nuclear Waste Storage Facility, Hanford, WA
Maybe Taryn can break out her camera and get us a rare shot from inside the Infinity Awards Gala tonight (presumably she's invited).
UPDATE:
Daryl has some nice tidbits and goss about the scene at the awards. Some of the juice:
"Among the many photo hotshots in attendance were Gregory Crewdson, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Walter Iooss, Neil Leifer, Mary Ellen Mark, Steve McCurry, Susan Meiselas, Martin Parr, Sylvia Plachy and Getty Images CEO Jonathan Klein.
One the menu: pan-seared Pacific halibut, hunter-style French breast of chicken with herbed soft polenta, and ricotta cheesecake with toasted almond ice cream. In the gift bag: Godiva and Estée Lauder.
The ICP Trustees Award went to actress Keaton, a longtime photo collector and editor of several books of photographs, who recently donated an archive of Bill Woods prints to ICP. Dressed in a white blouse and black polka-dotted Fifties-style circle skirt, she delivered a giddy speech about how photography has inspired her, beginning with her mother's scrapbooking."
Stumble Upon
Leave a comment