Shoes to Match

Growing up in the country we had "play clothes" and "nice clothes", hand-me-downs were a thing and our mother worked hard to pay for my sister and I to have the nicest dresses. Every year at Halloween she hand sewed the most elaborate costumes and it was important to choose wisely when selecting a pair of shoes because, per our mom, it was "unacceptable to be running about in our stocking feet" at the end of the night. I never truly appreciated any of this until I was older. It was strange that this is what I thought of on that day; standing on a beach near Homer Alaska, adorned in a red dress made from found materials and wearing a pair of green boots like the ones my father has worn every day since I can remember. I looked down at my feet, listened to the waves lapping against the shore and thought... "this is accurate, exact and correct in every detail, these shoes are perfect." Photographs by Heather Thamm

Social Topography - the art of giving directions and finding our way

In addition to the dresses that are still and always on my mind I've begun a new art project. A simple request for a map.

A map from you to me- to or of a place, it can be a real or made up place. The map can be described in words or pictures and lines, written/drawn in any medium on any surface (a bar napkin or a canvas). The map can be detailed or not, it can take 5 minutes or hours to draw/create.

During the early stages of my interest in Media Literacy I began thinking about how our culture has seemingly lost the ability and patience to describe places and directions in words or in pictures. Less and less people are inclined to ask for directions or seek out a local to provide beta on the best places to eat or visit - we simply consult a smart phone, avoid going out of our way and gravitate towards recognizable singage and convenience. I have thought about this project for many years and am now ready for it to take shape. I am requesting a map from each person who has affected change in, and moved my life in new directions.

If you find yourself with two extra minutes in life and an insey bit of inspiration please write it down - and send it my way.

I hope that this finds you with your feet upon a path worth navigating and may you be guided by something other than a smart-phone.

Verisimilitude:the appearance or semblance of truth.

Alfred Stieglitz stated, "Photography is my passion, the search for truth, my obsession." By the end of his life Stieglitz had produced more than 2,500 mounted photographs, of those more than three hundred were of his lover and later, wife, Giorgia O’Keeffe. He photographed her in all states and over many years, claiming that one angle and one picture would never suffice as a portrait.

After his death O'Keefe began the monumental task of assembling all of Stieglitz's estate. He had more than 3,000 photographs of his own, 850 works of art mostly by artists he represented, 580 prints by other photographers, an enormous collection of books and writings, plus nearly 50,000 pieces of correspondence. She was given the sole authority over his belongings, and took three years to personally sort through every piece. She gave most of his works to major museums in the U.S and when asked where she had placed a portion of his ashes, her only reply, "I put him where he could hear the water."


I wonder if he found his truth, or if it was gifted to him?...

"A Photograph is a secret about a secret, the more it tells you the less you know." -Diane Arbus

Not Afraid To Wear It

She may be walking a fine line instead of the runway, along with a list of young women who are criticized for wearing too little, exposing too much and being bad role models. However in contrast to bearing it all, Lady Gaga spends a great deal of time adorned in magnificent sculptural textures that many wouldn't dare to be seen in. In tandem with self expression, she uses this attention getting platform to address several more serious issues besides what she will be wearing at the next big event. It just happens to be an added bonus that there isn't likely to be a duplicate of any of Lady Gaga's couture on the red carpet. Way to go Ga!

Jackson, the Royal way...

Moving forward. One foot in-front of the other, over the frost covered ground. I continue to investigate my surroundings by culling out materials, objects and remnants that tell their own story about a place and lead me to new discoveries.

Physics

The steam seeps, the water trickles. Both drawn to their own path- and though unmarked and subtle, there is a path for each...