Photography
PHOTOGRAPHY – Abstract Series – NEW Flash Flickr Widget
Last modified on 2009-04-15 02:28:58 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
Roy Tanck’s new Flickr Widget is so cool and so easy to deploy you just have to try it yourself!
As I was looking around for a new fandagle way to push my Flickr Photostream to my my web site at www.hanswendland.com, I came across Roy Tanck’s new Flickr Widget. It’s a Flash based widget that lets you display the most recent entries in your Flickr Photostream, and through a very simple interface on www.roytanck.com, and a copy/paste into my HTML pages, I was able to implement the widget in seconds!
I really like Roy’s welcome statement: “Roy Tanck used to conduct secret nuclear experiments for an undisclosed Eastern European government and was on the verge of discovering how to harness nuclear fusion when he decided to focus on WordPress instead.” and when I took the time to read through his blog, I also found a wealth of useful info on WordPress, Flash and web design in general. I found myself referring back to his library of code and tidbits again and again… well worth digging around, and referring back to.
As soon as I get a chance will implement his WordPress WP-Cumulus on this blog and make his tools a permanent feature on my sites.
Thanks Roy! Great stuff – Don’t forget to donate into his Tip Jar.
PHOTOGRAPHY – Abstract Series 38 – We’re all going to die
Last modified on 2009-01-21 03:52:17 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
Abstract Series 38 – We’re all going to die, posted by hanswendland
Back in Boston, back in the USA, back in Church!
What a culture change… and We’re All Going To Die was as raw as all that! The venue is great, and I have been back a number of time since then… I used to live in the Fennway back in the 80′s and it hasn’t changed much since then. The people are different but the faces are the same, the characters are the same and it still stinks like stail beer, I love it!
There is somthing to be said for the ability of three guys to make such a racket, I just spent 10 years back home, wher italian bands included “everyone in the parking lot” playing “every instrument in the shop” and calling themselves “a real blues band”. Three people in this band was more than enough to reak havok!
The sound was raw, loud, guttural, obnoxious, unpretentious, emotional and they didn’t give a fuck who was listening. I havent herard heavy rock like this for quite some time, and meaby that was part of the apeal, but I loved it.
In this series I tried (not well enough in my opinion) to capture some of all that. At worst I hope I captured the “dark”.
Michelle Bird – Zurich, Switzerland
Last modified on 2009-01-21 03:07:49 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
Michelle Bird – Zurich, Switzerland, posted by hanswendland
I had the great pleasure of visiting Michelle and her husband at their home and studio in Zurich before I relocated to Boston. I have known Michelle for a short time, through mutual friends that I have enjoyed working with in Zurich. But that’s all it took… After a very short time of meeting both Michelle and her husband you feel like you have known them for a million years. They are both very kind and gentle artists, pasionate about life and their art. They have an incredible way of inviting you to their home and making you feel like you are the most welcome person in the world.
I was lucky enough to stop by one day, on short notice and having the opportunity to shoot them in the world they made and change evry day. The house was fantastic, the studio grand, and Michelles paitings speak for themselves!
Thank you both, I hope to see you soon!
From www.michellebird.ch:
Michelle Bird: fusion of colors and cultures
Hot lava pours into the sea, volcanic glass fragments mix with black sand beaches – as a young child Michelle Bird stood at the edge of strong cultural tides, inheriting her Chinese artist father’s classical eye and her Western mother’s courage with bold architectural form. Described as “tactile and erotic,” abstract expressionist Bird’s paintings radiate the fusion of cultures and colors.
Michelle Bird came early to her love of color as she leaned barefoot into the ocean wind hunting the last subtle green flash in her Hawaiian sunset. When her family moved to California she added the texture of old growth Redwood forests, San Francisco fogs, plump grape vines and desert silt. Her paintings reflect a wide palette of almost Baroque colors. “I paint fervently for long intervals,” says the artist, “as if I were walking blindfolded through nature, feeling the color with my skin.”
Educated in California and the Netherlands, she studied with Dutch poet and painter Anton Martineau and at the Rietveld Art Academy. Recognized in Europe and California, she has lectured at ‘San Francisco’s Academy of Art College’ on drawing techniques. Her work has been shown at Gallery Retort in Amsterdam, Gallery Walls in Amsterdam, Castle Maurick in Vught, The Netherlands, and The Depot Art Gallery in California. In 2003, she received an award from the Californian ‘Center for Contemporary Arts’ in Sacramento. As an illustrator, she has been published by the Dutch & Belgium publications ‘Joie de Vivre’ and ‘Spuit 11.’ She gained international attention for her drawings in the book ‘Closed Curtains — Lives of de Wallen’.
Bird’s work is represented in private and corporate collections in the United States, Switzerland and The Netherlands, including those of AXA Insurance and SEC.
Her studio in Switzerland is on the outskirts of Zurich adjacent to a forested hill, where she has lived with her husband since 2004. Her daughter studies art at Berkeley.
Michelle Bird speaks English, Dutch, and German; and holds a San Francisco Bay Skippers rating.
She can be contacted directly or through her agent, Holger Leverentz.
Text by Kristin Shannon
Curator of Louvre expat exhibit 2007
Michelle’s Art Links:
www.absolutearts.com/portfolios/m/michellebird
www.michellebird.ch
www.mapmagazine.ch
www.antonmartineau.com
www.kunstinwinterthur.com
PHOTOGRAPHY – Abstract Series 27
Last modified on 2008-11-21 04:34:48 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
Abstract Series 27, posted by hanswendland
Euro2008 – Italy beats France 2-0… well that says it all doesn’t it! And even though Italy, as usual cheated and wined they way through the match, France was an embarrassment to the sport. Not that I have an opinion, being French and having an Italian mother, did not jade my opinion one way or the other. Thank god that at the time I took these shots we were living in Lugano, Switzerland (a neutral country). Ticino and Grigione, is one of the 2 Italian speaking cantons in Switzerland as it borders Italy. Ticino has a huge migrant population of native Italians, that went absolutly ballistic at the end of the game.
Pouring into the streets, they paraded through downtown Lugano, screaming, yelling, blowing the car horns, air horns and anything else that could make a racket. The main street where the celebrating was “tolerated’ by the local police, a que of cars slowly snaked around several city blocks, chuck full or revelers of all ages, flapping flags, banners and in some case their girlfriends undergarments…
The noise was deafening, of coarse their were the usual flairs, fireworks, bottle and glass throwing. At one point a sub-compact car went by where I counted 15 people jammed pack in, spilling out everywhere, what a sight!
PHOTOGRAPHY – 2 Bankers (Zurich, Switzerland)
Last modified on 2008-11-13 04:18:09 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
2 Bankers (Zurich, Switzerland), posted by hanswendland
On one of my last trips to Zurich several month ago, I rounded a corner in the downtown theater district to find performance artists doing their thing on the sidewalk to the surprise and disgust of some passers by.
I found the whole scene surreal and a great photo opportunity, so I spent some time following and shooting the scene. None of the actors were speaking, the whole scene was mute, not hurried and unforced. There was no preamble, no announcement or setting of expectations, only the acts, slowly and deliberately executed and brilliantly choreographed.
Oddly enough, once I got over the symbology of the acts, it seemed perfectly natural in the setting, as the backdrop to this surreal performance was one of the financial centers of Europe.
The beast-master in this case was actually a very interesting choice as the character was dresses as a typical agent of the largest private security firm in Switzerland and immediately recognizable as such – They are hired and serve mostly banks & bankers…
The reaction from passers by was predictable in Zurich, most people ignored the whole thing, and when the actors slowly made their way to a bust stop where several people were waiting for public transportation, the people immediately left the scene for calmer grounds. Only tourists actually stopped and stared… and one photographer.
The whole scene unfolded in about 30 minutes and faded with the beast-master leading his two mutts around the far corner of the block, and by the time I got to the corner all I could see were the actors ball-busting-it down the road at full speed, probably very concerned that they might have to spend some “quality time” with the security company they were interpreting and the local police.
I am not usually very impressed by performance art however this was defiantly the exception. I loved it and it was great!
PHOTOGRAPHY – Abstract Series 26
Last modified on 2008-10-30 02:20:17 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
AS26 Announcement, posted by hanswendland
Abstract photos of the “energizer human hamster wheel” at the St. Louis Science Center in Saint Louis, Missouri.
I really love this thing! This is the second time I visited the museum and this time specifically to photograph the “energizer human hamster wheel”. The motion is hypnotic, I could stare at if for ever, your eyes become glued to the balls as they travel the course.
I could photograph this contraption endlessly and wish I could do so at nigh… maybe next time I will try to arrange this. The photographs I took this time and published here are by far the best of the two sessions. This time I really tried to capture the motion, isolating small parts of the tract or supporting frame work.
This subject is exactly the kind of work that lends itself best to being printed in very large format (1m x 1.5m on canvas), and I really hope to get the opportunity to print these and show them. I printed a number of photos of the machine from my last visit on photographic paper 50 x 75cm and sold them out.
From the Saint Louis Acience Center web site
Reenergize yourself at the St. Louis Science Center with the Energizer® Machine! Three stories tall and almost as wide, the Energizer® Machine branches throughout the entire, renovated Emerson Lobby, stretching from floor to ceiling like an enormous indoor tree. Its 30-foot metal infrastructure supports spirals, funnels, loops, and slides that send colorful balls tumbling and plummeting around the lobby.
The Energizer® Machine is the largest kinetic sculpture of its kind in the world. Visitors supply the kinetic energy needed to power the Energizer® Machine. Walking a treadmill or turning a crank send the machine into action. The machine performs 50 different “events,” all that exhibit the principles of physics and all that entertain, captivate, and engage visitors. Watch balls fly through conveyer belts and aluminum tracks, set off spinning flags, and swing a pendulum with the help of simple machines like the pulley, the screw, and the inclined plane. The machine entices visitors to learn, welcoming them into the lobby and persuading them to linger in an environment designed to spark science learning.
PHOTOGRAPHY – Abstract Series 25
Last modified on 2008-10-17 03:51:44 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
AS25 Announcement, posted by hanswendland
The Holy Wreck – Nicholas Ward, Rich Gilbert, Davey Bull and Eileen Rose
Performance in Northern Italy, 2008
My wife and Rich Gilbert, the guitarist, are old friends, and we had the opportunity to see and briefly visit with Rich on one of his a tour stops in northern Italy , not far from Milano. The venue was one I have never experienced before as the concert was held in a regional gymnasium in a small sorts complex typical of medium size towns in northern Italy.
By the time the concert started, the hall was packed with people of all ages. The concert included performances from several bands and a soloist. All were passable performances, including the all Italian “standard” blues band, but as far as I am concerned Rich stole the show. You could tell very quickly the man is very talented and outclassed all others on stage.
This shoot was very interesting to me as the lighting was quite different than more recent gigs and the results are by far better than I expected… and as you can see, Rich is quite photogenic on stage. Rich now lives and works in Nashville, TN a favorite city of mine, and I cant wait to visit him there, as there can be no better host in Nashville than a world class performer!
See more about Eileen Rose:
www.eileenrose.com/index.asp
blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&fr…
See more about Rich Gilbert at:
www.frankblack.net/bio/default.asp?page=rich
profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile…
See more of my work at:
www.hanswendland.com
www.canvas2screen.com
www.crack-hotel.com
www.te
PHOTOGRAPHY – Abstract Series 24
Last modified on 2008-07-19 21:02:01 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
AS24 Announcement, posted by hanswendland
I have lived and worked in Lugano, Switzerland for over 6 years and I never get tired of photographing it. Every time I go out to shoot people or abstracts I find something new, something different or something I have never seen before.
As I will soon move back to Boston, recently I decided to go out one more time and shoot the obvious. I shot the streets I have walked daily to go to my office, the piazza, the “portici”, the contrde, the tourists gawking and locals shopping.
Not all my shots are “fuzzy”, Lugano is an impertinent contrast of traditional architecture, buildings that were constructed in the 60′s and 70′s and the most obnoxious contemporary Swiss Design which has become the unequivocal signature of swiss contemporary architecture. In this tapestry of architecture and design I find abstract subjects around every corner.
Of coarse the people are always the subjects I like to shoot the most, and in Lugano there is no shortage of people of all kinds, from all walks of life, from countries around the world.
PHOTOGRAPHY – Abstract Series 23
Last modified on 2008-06-20 12:36:50 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
AS23 Announcement, posted by hanswendland
Recently I had the pleasure to see and photograph Einstuerzende Neubauten performing in Milano, Italy. I am not usually very impressed by “industrial bands” but Einstuerzende Neubauten is absolutely the exception! They produce a great live show, great music, great visuals and are great subjects to photograph. I highly recommend everyone to see them, weather you dig the industrial sound or not.
The venue in Milano, Alcatraz was excellent, plenty of space for a large crowd, and a super professional set up. Everyone managing the venue were very cool and did not hassle photographers, the band was also cool with photos… and everything else.
Einstuerzende Neubauten particularly impressed me as they are pusshing a new business model based on SUBSCRIPTION! You can subscribe to the bands events instead of buying albums or individual songs… now thats the way to go! For the fans it leave them with a sense of “sponsorship” that feels great. They also produce all their live events on location and by the end of the concert you can purchase a CD of the music you just heard!
You can find out more about Einstuerzende Neubauten at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einst%C3%BCrzende_Neubauten
PHOTOGRAPHY – Abstract Series 22
Last modified on 2008-06-20 10:26:55 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
AS22 Announcement, originally posted by hanswendland
Recently my family and I went to visit a tunnel outside of Lugano, part of the large Alptransit projects currently underway in Switzerland – www.alptransit.ch As of June 1, 2008, of the total of 153.3 km of tunnels, galleries and passages of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, 111.5 km, or 72.7%, had been excavated. The total amount driven in May 2008 was 1524 m. Concreting work in both tunnels continues. Of the total of 113.3 km of lining work, 71.3 km of the invert (63%) and 45.7 km of the vault (40%) have been concreted.
As of June 1, 2008, 518 m, or 22%, of the 2.3-km-long window adit at the Sigirino intermediate heading had been excavated.
The new Gotthard rail link
AlpTransit Gotthard is creating a flat rail link for future travel through the Alps. At the heart of the new transalpine rail route is Gotthard Base Tunnel. With a length of 57 km, the world’s longest tunnel should become operational at the end of 2016. This pioneering achievement of the 21st century will bring major improvements to travel and transportation systems in the heart of Europe.
Do you want to know more about the vision of the AlpTransit Gotthard AG? Then you should read our prospectus ‘The new Gotthard rail link’ which covers the following topics:
The high-speed link with Europe
Faster trains, better connections, quicker journeys
Freight travels best by rail
Flat all the way – and faster, too
The Gotthard Base Tunnel – 50 years of planning
Construction concept of the Gotthard Base Tunnel
The Ceneri Base Tunnel – the logical continuation
Longitudinal geological section
Accurate to the centimetre through the mountains
The mountain from under the Alps
Protecting the environment
The railway of the future: attractive and reliable
Public involvement through open information
The tunnel we visited is actualy mearly an air shaft, however the dimentions of the hole in the mountain is quite majestic! The Swiss realy know how to dig a hole!
PHOTOGRAPHY – Abstract Series 21
Last modified on 2008-05-08 20:06:21 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
AS21 Announcement, originally uploaded by hanswendland
Several weeks ago I had had the opportunity to see and shoot the Jim Weider Band, with Mitch Stein, Rodney Holmes and Steve Lucas performing at the Irish Club Alpino in Tesserete, Switzerland. The Club Alpino is a very small venue and a great opportunity to see the players up close… inches away I had the chance for the first time to shoot Jim and his friends. The band rocked, the place was packed and everyone had a good time!
JIM WEIDER, former member of the legendary group “THE BAND” is a master of classic telecaster guitar, is renowned for his rock and blues-based signature sound. He is among a select group of musicians with an endorsement from Fender and for the past three decades he’s earned enormous respect from fellow musicians and music fans throughout the world .. Jim was featured on numerous albums, films, videos and television appearances. Highlights included a 1990 performance with The Band and Ronnie Hawkins at The Berlin Wall concert produced by Roger Waters of Pink Floyd; several cable TV specials (notably “The Bob Dylan Tribute” at Madison Square Garden; “The Road,” a 1994 pay-per-view concert telecast from the Woodstock ’94 Festival; and a 1995 appearance on the A&E Biography documentary “The Authorized Video Biography The Band”.
For Homespun Video, Jim has produced six of the internationally distributed company’s best selling instructional video tapes/DVD’s : Get That Classic Fender Sound, Rockabilly Guitar (1&2), Electric Country Blues (1&2), Basic Licks and Classic Solos for Electric Blues Guitar.
2005 W.C. handy Award winner for co- writing Mavis Staples hit single and cd title song” Have-a-Little Faith”, Jim has written songs and produced for many artists also including The BAND’s top ten hit ” REMEDY” and has made three solo albums BIG FOOT , REMEDY and his newest cd PERCoLAToR. Percolator is a new musical direction for Jim , Big Guitars with Modern Grooves! A powerful show that’s both exciting and mesmerizing! www.jimweider.com
MITCH STEIN is one of NYC’s most in-demand guitarists. He has toured and recorded with a wide variety of artists encompassing many different styles of music. The Brecker Brothers, David Sanborn, Tania Maria, Cyndi Lauper, Bill Evans, Regina Belle, Mino Cinelu, Steve Kimock, Don Alias, Adam Holzman, Steve Gadd and Jim Weider’s ProjECT PERCoLAToR are just a few examples. As a composer/producer, his work is represented on The Hermanators CD “Twisted” and Adam Holzman’s CDs “Manifesto”, “The Big Picture” and “JazzRocketScience”.
RODNEY HOLMES is one of today’s most talked about and respected drummers. His talents as a composer and producer are showcased on his highly anticipated solo debut album “TWELVE MONTHS OF OCTOBER.” Rodney has worked and recorded with some of the most respected musicians in both rock, and jazz worlds. Carlos Santana, Rob Thomas, Wayne Shorter, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Joe Zawinul, are just a few examples.
STEVE LUCAS is an international touring musician and recording session bass player sought after for his diverse playing styles. He has played in the best studios in the world including Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in the U.K and has appeared on the Mountain Stage program several times as well as The David Letterman Show. His foundation in jazz and Fusion was influenced by the methodology Bruce Lee used which was to combine the most powerful aspects of different styles. This was the basis for Steve’s debut CD titled “Jeet Kune Do” released in 1995. He then finely tuned his talents as a producer,composer and beat specialist to release his 2nd CD, titled “Gamma Jazz” in 2003, which combines jazz with modern styles of drum ‘n bass, trip hop and jungle. Steve’s library of music is used in Television shows and films around the globe but he thrives on the thrill of live performances with top quality musicians and is thrilled to contribute to the band.
PHOTOGRAPHY – 50 Strangers
Last modified on 2008-04-29 20:46:49 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
50 Announcement, originally uploaded by hanswendland.
I received hundreds of comments on this series of photographs, and for that I am very thankful.
Some comments were very complementary and others not so. Many of the negative comments were in regards to my forcing the audience to focus on what I wanted to them to see, by highlighting the focal point with color and fading the rest to black and white. Obviously these people did not appreciate this “forced perspective”and most did not get past this issue to comment on the actual shots.
I did get one particular coment from someone I had the plesure of meeting a number of years ago that has alwais been brutaly honest with me, and whom I respect a great deal, that realy made me feel good… and I want to share his coments here:
Hello, Hans,
I had a look today at your “50 strangers” book, congratulations, I liked it very much – also I would have a hard time to explain why. Usually – refering to the colored person vs. the B&W backgrounds – I do not like to be pointed too brutally to what I am supposed to look at, and to what I am supposed to see. Aversion to heteronomy, something you might be able to relat to, or not? But here, hmm, it is seemingly somewhat different, something else is stronger than that in these photographs. Now thinking about it, it might be the consistency between what you wrote about it (and yourself) and the photographs themselves. I think it is the feeling which comes when I am looking at them, that you REALLY like the people, it seems not a neutral observing (or stealing) of a person or moment, but an affectionate and almost loving interaction.
Which neatly ties into the people opening up to you, and being spontaneous and open to start a conversation ( I think there is a typo somewhere where you say “conversion” instead of conversation” - is that a “Freudscher Versprecher”? Are you a missionary?). As you know, in German there is the saying “Wie Du in den Wald hineinrufst, so schallt es heraus”.
I guess it is fascinating me as I am lacking this ability and spontaneity. Hmm, now it became some sort of explanation anyway.
Well, I wish you all the best, also to your family …
Christian
Thank you Christian!
NEW PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK – 50 Strangers
Last modified on 2008-05-12 13:13:31 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
50 Announcement, originally uploaded by hanswendland.
After working on this project for over 2 years, I am proud to announce the release of my latest photography book: 50 Strangers – people on the street.
You can see the individual photographs on Flickr. You can see the book in PDF format and purchase it at www.hanswendland.com. You can see the video on YouTube.
Very soon you will be able to purchase post-cards of these photographs in my store on www.hanswendland.com
I have been traveling around the world for many years, and wherever I go I always seem to meet the most interesting people. Regardless of weather I am behind the camera or not, I am never shy, and I love to strike up conversions with people I have never met before. The most interesting of conversations are always the most spontaneous, but some times saying nothing at all… a look, a smile, a passing glance can be more intriguing than a million spoken words.
I am always intrigued with people I see and meet on the streets, who are they, here are they going, what do they do, what is happening in their life right now…. I love wandering the streets looking at people, photographing them, talking to people I have never met before, sharing an instant in a life time, realizing I will probably never see them again. Several years ago I started to photograph people on the streets, and in this collection I have gathered some of the most interesting shots from my travels around Europe.
People-watching has always been one of my favorite pastimes. In my travels, I spend a lot more time watching people than I do looking at other things, as people are usually the hart and life of a town and are never static and seldom boring. I am always entertained and intrigued with the people I see and meet on the street, and in this series of photographs I tried to capture those human elements which we share anonymously. In these photos I hope you will see not only the strangers, but also recognize friends, acquaintances and perhaps even a little of yourself.
I have been playing with Animoto and created a small video with the photos of this series… just a little fun!
PHOTOGRAPHY – Abstract Series 20
Last modified on 2008-04-19 15:06:43 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
AS20 Announcement, originally uploaded by hanswendland
Having seen Stereolab a number of years ago I was curious to see Monade, and had the opportunity to shoot them at La Casa 139 in Milano. The Stereolab influence was clearly evident but Letitia put on a good show all her own.
Monade is a Bordeaux, France-based post-rock band which was initially a side project of Lætitia Sadier, one half of Stereolab. In the late 1990s, the All-City imprint released a 7″ split of Monade’s “Ode to a Keyring”/”Witch Hazel” [the b-side of the split featured materials by post-rock group, M, featuring David Pajo of Slint]. These songs were recorded by Sadier with Rosie Cuckston of the band Pram. The two songs featured on Monade’s initial 45 were re-recorded for the group’s first full-length record, “Socialisme Ou Barbarie” [Drag City]. They have released two albums to date on the Duophonic label which is partially owned by Sadier herself. The first album, Socialisme Ou Barbarie was released in 2003 after being produced part-time over a period of six years.
Their second album, A Few Steps More (2005), marks a more cohesive stage in the band’s development. There is now a regular lineup, and it was recorded using studio equipment. The album has been roundly praised and criticised for its superficial resemblance to the sound of Stereolab, but several reviews have commented more on the harmonic structure of the album, which almost seems to blend symphonically at times. Even the instrumentals and vocals blend at points. Asked about on the album’s themes in an interview for Eye Weekly, Sadier commented: “I was trying to write to the individual and the capacity to listen to one’s desires. Also, I tackled the idea of becoming. I think that’s quite an important notion: that things should be allowed to become. I became a singer and it took me years and I want Monade to have a chance to become a band.”[1]
The name “Monade” was taken from Cornelius Castoriadis’ concept of the “monade psychique” (psychical monad), which was the term Castoriadis used to describe the undifferentiated infantile psyche, before its shattering into the ego, super-ego, and id through the process of socialization. Lætitia Sadier has stated that the name has a double meaning – the word “monade” is from the root word “mono-” (meaning “one”) and etymologically related to the sound recording term “mono”, which stands in contrast to stereo, and therefore is a reference to Monade as a solo side project to Stereolab.[2] The title of Monade’s first album pays tribute to a libertarian Marxist political group founded by Castoriadis, Socialisme ou Barbarie.
In March 2008, a new Monade album was released, without any promotion, called Monstre Cosmic.
Monade at MySpace – www.myspace.com/Monade
Eye – Monade – 05.12.05
PHOTOGRAPHY – Abstract Series 19
Last modified on 2008-04-14 09:08:03 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
AS19 Announcement, originally uploaded by hanswendland.
Several weeks ago I went to shoot a headliner at La Casa 139, a nightclub in Milan, Italy, as I wanted to first shoot the venue empty of the evenings crowd I arrived early, and I had the opportunity to also met and then hear the warm-up band Tiny Masters of Today, who are a totally cool group young people touring the EU from Brooklyn, New York.
I am not typically a fan of under-age bands, but Tiny Masters of Today realy roked! Their music and performance were totally awesome, the venue was perfect for the band and the show they put on was well worth the trip alone.As usual I could not help myself and I had great fun shooting the Tiny Masters of Today as well.
Their style of music is indie punk rock, basic, raw and garageie (see their Wiki page) that reminds me a lot of the White Stripes who I also like very much.
In a number of photos in this series, I really made an effort to take advantage of the stage lights that gave the objects on stage a very tinted feel which I tried to abstract.. Some of these effects worked quite well, I particularly like the shots of Ada with her guitar.
PHOTOGRAPHY – Abstract Series 18
Last modified on 2008-04-02 10:37:15 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
AS18 Announcement, originally uploaded by hanswendland.
I recently had the an opportunity to shoot 2 bands at La Casa 139 in Milano, and took some abstract photos of the club. La Casa 139 is a small venue that is very comfortable. In the main room there is a reasonable size stage and space to host 50 to 100 guests. The club is a mixed residential/industrial neighborhood in the periphery of Milano with easy access to the highway.
In this series I like the results of the work with the sound engineers who were getting ready for the show, the simple lines and light work of the shots make them some of my favorite and perfect for large format prints on canvas.
PHOTOGRAPHY – Abstract Series 17
Last modified on 2008-03-21 15:18:46 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
AS17 Announcement, originally uploaded by hanswendland.
The mountain village of San Bernardino straddles the famous pass, and is the gatekeeper of the tunnel. San Bernardino is also the border town between the Italian language and culture and that of Germanic origins.
Pass the tunnel, and the world on the other side speaks German (or a variation of German), and is culturally very different than the world south of the pass. However, a tradition that is shared by both sides of the divide is sledding! Yes sledding, on a Saturday and Sunday afternoon is seems the whole town, with all its children, pours out onto a gap in the buildings in the center of the village, that gives way to a backdrop of majestic Apls, with a foreground of a small-town ski-lift and a large hill for sledding.
The sledding starts early and by 10:00 AM, the morning session is in full swing, there are literally hundreds of people mingling about , most line both sides of the 300 meter stretch of hill where important sledding is done, watching the small children, and the big children, slide and zoom and tear down the hill on whatever sleddible item they have. The sledding-run is right smack in the middle of the village, between hotels, churches and parking garages. It seems to have been there for ever and is part of every locals life. Families from both sides of the pass were indulging in the sledding and sun. This is a great place for people watching as the sledders provide a non stop show, and the people hanging out on the sides are very relaxed and easy-going.
In this series of photos I tried to abstract the people, the snow, the hotel in the background… I tried to capture the activity around me and the mingling all around the sledding. I also noticed that in the mob of people there were some people being very singular or alone, and in some instances their very simple image, made the best photograph.
PHOTOGRAPHY – Abstract Series 16
Last modified on 2008-03-04 10:50:48 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
blog_030208_AS16_announce_001, originally uploaded by hanswendland.
The tile of this series of photographs is “Irene’s front porch”.
I always assume that anything can be abstracted, in both painting and photography, and it is why I enjoy the technique I most often use in this series of photographs.
I shot these photos while standing on Irene’s porch, on the top floor of a very beautiful penthouse overlooking the Lago di Lugano in Lugano, Switzerland.
The architecture of the buildings surrounding Irene’s are a mix from 70′s and 80′s to contemporary in style, all of which make the abstracted shapes of the different design forms become very distinctive.
I tried to find the simplicity in the buildings planes, surrounding the metal and glass porch I was standing on. The different building materials also created contrast which i tried to capture elongating shapes and creating a consistent flow threw the images.
Capturing these shapes was a challenge as I had to isolate an abstract them in a very narrow space between each building. The natural lighting became one of the elements I tried to abstract taking advantage of the heavy shadows between the planes.
Important examples of modern architecture in Lugano are the Mixed-Use Building, via Ciani, the Caimato Offices, via Maggio and the Banca del Gottardo, viale Franscini; three works by Mario Botta, one of the most famous Ticino architects. Derived from given urban situations, the designs provide consistent architectural responses, exercising a purifying effect on the urban context. Special emphasis is given on the image as a determining factor.
In the great cylinder at Molino Nuovo, the volumetric tension is reflected in the inner spatial organisation, while at the Caimato Building, the handling of the external surfaces alludes to traditional practice. Botta uses large vertical cuts and so light, essential elements in his works, to give more feeling to the Building of Banca del Gottardo.
Reference: M.Daguerre, Birkhäuser Architectural Guide Switzerland 20th Century
PHOTOGRAPHY – Abstract Series 15
Last modified on 2008-02-25 12:15:35 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
blog_020808_AS15_announce_001, originally uploaded by hanswendland.
Irene Orleansky & Virginia Splendore – Performance at the Cantina Canetti, Locarno Switzerland.
Before Christmas I had the pleasure of shooting a live performance by Irene Orleansky & Virginia Splendore at the Cantina Canetti, Locarno Switzerland. Both performers are very talented and play a number of instruments however both mainly play a Chapman Stick.
Cantina Canetti is in the hart of the old city of Locarno, it’s a rather small restaurant serving great food and great beer. Canetti regularly features a wide variety of Jazz performers and is a regular stop for many jazz groups truing Ticino.
I last shot Irene playing with Jerry Marotta, and as in the last concert the performance was excellent. The Stick is an incredible instrument that in the right hands really sings, and the combination of both Irene and Virgina playing the stick produced a great sound!
In this series of photos I tried to abstract their figures as they played the Stick, the venue was quite small and did not allow for a lot of flexibility but I like the results, some of which I will Photoshop when I get the chance.
PHOTOGRAPHY – Carnevale di Venzia 2008
Last modified on 2008-02-25 12:17:16 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
CV08 Announce, originally uploaded by hanswendland.
On the way to Monfalcone, Italy, to participate in the Cantada di Carnevale, my son and I decided to stop in Venice to take some photos of the famous “maschere di carnevale” and of coarse, to have the best cappuccino in the world. Hansi now 6 years old, was last in Venice when he was still an infant, and doesn’t remember, so this side-trip was very exiting to him. Having spent many of my adolescent years in the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, and having often visited Venice, particularly during Carnevale, this excursion was like visiting an old friend. I love Venice, particularly the neighborhoods not typically traveled by tourists, but now I very seldom visit Venice as the millions of tourist invading the city daily give the city a carnival atmosphere I don’t enjoy very much.
Never the less Hansi and I had a great time, it was really wonderful to share Venice and a photography shoot with my son who was mesmerized, by the buildings, the canals, the boats, the maschere and the millions of tourists.
The afternoon was quite calm as the weather was not the best, heavy cloud cover and threatening rains, kept a good deal of people at bay, so we had no problems, taking the train from Mestre to Venice and then the boat to Ponte Rialto where we waved through the small contrade making our way to Piazza San Marco.
Piazza San Marco was as beautiful as ever, the maschere were wonderful and the cappuccino was fantastic!
On the way home I was particularly amused when Hansi asked me if Venice was like some of the cantons in Switzerland where everyone spoke French, as everyone we spoke to or heard, on this day in Venice happened to speak French, including most if not all of the people behind the maschere.
PHOTOGRAPHY – Abstract Series 14
Last modified on 2008-02-25 12:17:58 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
AS14 Announcement, originally uploaded by hanswendland.
Look deep enough into a raging river and you will eventually see a raging fire. This series of photos are particularly exiting to me as I pushed my technique to a new level and achieved results I did not expect.
I shot these photographs one afternoon from the banks of a river that runs through the village of Camignolo, Switzerland where I currently live. The river is not very large, and at the time it was not very full. Lilting was good, for a while, then as usually happens in winter in these tight valleys in Switzerland, in the late afternoon, the sun falls behind the mountain peeks and long dark shadows take over the landscape.
I went to the river to try some different setting on my Canon 5D and apply them to moving water, which I have never shot before. I took an extraordinary number of photos and tried some crazy settings while moving my camera in practically every direction I could manage. As I would fill the SD cards I looked at the results, and many were not exactly what I was looking for, until I started to see some of the shots in this series. Zooming in to see the details I could tell I finally found a winning combination, and focused on producing the same effect while shooting water running off a small waterfall.
I’m not sure anyone else will like these, but I love them! The red reflection from the rocks was the winning touch. When I went back to my studio to see these photos in detail, on a large screen, I couldn’t stop staring at them, the light, the colors the motion are fantastic, and with exception of some dust on the sensor (I take my cameras through hell) they are exactly what I was hoping for.
These are the kind of photos I want to see printed in very large format (at least 1m x 1.5m perhaps even bigger) both on photographic paper AND on canvas. I can easily envision myself painting and applying some pencil work over these prints on canvas, as I have never done before. These images will definitely be included (if not featured) my next show!
I will blog more about some of these photographs in the next weeks, but I am very curious to know what you think of them, so comment below or send me an eMail at hans@hanswendland.com! I look forward to your comments!
This blog entry was written with an offline editor I just started using called ecto – So far it’s great, I will blog about it soon.
PHOTOGRAPHY – Abstract Series 13
Last modified on 2008-02-25 12:19:10 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
AS13 Announcement, originally uploaded by hanswendland.
This collection of 29 abstract photos is a slight departure from the previous Abstract Series I published last year (AS12, AS11 and AS10) and is more in tune with the work I published in the book Il Mio Bosco. Like in my paintings, sometimes I have to take one step back in order to move two steps forward.
The work in this series brings my focus back to nature (as will AS14) and specifically back to admiring the formation of trees. I have spoken and blogged before about my passion for trees and my admiration for their “completeness”, in this series I included trees in three separate states: with foliage, without and adorned with snow. They are not the the same trees in different seasons, they are different trees in different states. Each captured my attention and imagination for very different reasons, but together they seem to tell a single story.
Unlike in the photos in the book Il Mio Bosco, in this series I included both abstracts and “straight” photos of trees, as what captured me in the images of both the trees without foliage and the trees covered with snow were the almost fractal qualities of the branch geometry, yet displaying a random pattern that is almost hypnotic.
This series was a lot of work, it took me a long time to decide which photos to include in this series as I kept reading into them endlessly. As usual I probably included to many photos, and many people will not be compelled or interested in the fine attributes of each image as I unfortunately can be, but imagine for an instant the small photo on your screen coming to life, printed on canvas in very large format, like 1mx1.5m or bigger, where you can step close to the work and loose your self in the detail of step back and admire the captivating grandeur.
May years ago while living and painting in Boston, I remember producing a series of large painting very similar to these images, I remember those paintings well, as they were as painful to produce as these photos were to publish, nature can be as addictive as it is intriguing.
I really look forward to seeing this work printed in large format and will defiantly include several of these photos in my 2008 show!
PHOTOGRAPHY – Abstract Series 12 Photos 10
Last modified on 2008-02-25 12:25:11 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
AS12 – 10, originally uploaded by hanswendland.
I gave up smoking for the third or forth, or fifth time… a little while ago, so when it came time to select what photos to include in Series 12, I just had to have this one.
She has a mobile phone in each hand, is walking a million miles an hour, with a cigarette in her mouth. I love it! She is smoking!
PHOTOGRAPHY – Abstract Series 12 Photos 17 & 08
Last modified on 2008-02-25 12:26:42 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
AS12 – 17, originally uploaded by hanswendland.
The photo above is of a dancer at her practice session before a performance and concert. All the dancers were very talented and very beautiful. Their motions and gestures were gracious and soft, almost melodious. With these photos I tried to capture the ensemble of those attributes. Here the beauty of the female human form, softened by the gradation of motion which is segregated by numerous planes across the image, leads you to expects a chain of movements are about to take place. I like the simplicity of the shapes that create this image and the gradations that make them flow together.
This photo is of the same dancer above, but here she is finished practicing, and is leaving the hall. I started to shot her as I noticed that her “every day” movements seemed to flow as fluidly as her movements on the dance floor, an particularly as she dressed to leave and waked across the large dance floor to the exit, the motions, the light and the silhouette were a perfect match.
PHOTOGRAPHY – Abstract Series 12 Photos 11 & 13
Last modified on 2008-02-25 12:27:51 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
AS12 – 11, originally uploaded by hanswendland.
In the spring of this year I attended a conference in Milano focused on a university study of the Mobile market in Europe. I took with me my 5D and shot some of the attendees during the breaks outside in the courtyard. The scenes were fantastic, everyone speaking on a mobile phone, there were people with two and tree mobile phones, each hiding in a corner and shouting on their phones all the while gesticulating madly, it literally looked like a park for the insane, no one was speaking to each other, everyone was speaking on the phone… to each other.
These two photos here are my favorite from that day. Above, I call this “the phone call” (yes occasionally I title my work) I captured a man in the scene I described above. In his corner of the parking lot, having defined his private space, he is immersed in the world on the other side. He sees and feels nothing of whats around him, he is lost in the call.
In this photo I captured a “woman waiting”, obviously bored of doing so, also speaking on a mobile phone. In this photo I like the contrast of the structures around her and the focus of her silhouette.
PHOTOGRAPHY – Abstract Series 12 Photos 05, 06, 07
Last modified on 2008-02-25 12:29:00 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
AS12 – 05, originally uploaded by hanswendland.
On July 9th, in Berlin, if front of the world, Italy played France in the finals of the World Cup. As luck would have it, I was visiting faily in Monfalcone, Italy and saw the events unfold from the perspective of the now World Champions.
By the time I arrived in the piazza, the place was ballistic, everyone was screaming, dancing, waiving the Italian flag, jumping up and down, both on sidewalks and on the streets, in an impromptu parade of cars and mopeds packed with screaming people poring out of every opening, waiving and hollering as lowed as they could.
I shot people as they were passing by on cars, bicycles and mopeds, I must have taken hundreds of shots of which only a few were keepers. These photos I like because they capture the movement and chaos on the street and the excitement of the people.
The impromptu parade was really great, the energy was incredible, everywhere I pointed the camera there was a shot, but the lighting, as you see was crazy and everything moved in a flash.
PHOTOGRAPHY – Abstract Series 12 Photo 01
Last modified on 2008-02-25 12:29:46 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
AS12 – 01, originally uploaded by hanswendland.
I love this photo! I took this shot in Bellevue Platz in Zurich, Switzerland. The square is constantly bustling with people, coming and going, there are trams, trains, buses, trucks, cars, bicycles, mopeds and lots and lots of pedestrians traveling trough the square. There are bars and coffees for people to rest, hide and relax, and in this shot I tried to capture a slice of that tranquility surrounded by all this continuous movement and noise.
There are a lot of details in this photo, some I didn’t notice until later on. The balled man in the foreground in the lower left hand corner is my favorite. His tranquility and transparency is unmatched. At the center of all of this I found a young man, in a red jacket, staring at a coin in his hand, in front of a red bucket of wines, almost incredulous of his find.
Special Note: Someone recently pointed out that I am writing more about photos than I am about canvases and I have to admit that I just moved houses, and with it I moved my studio, which now I am organizing and setting-up for work again. In the meantime I decided to complete 2 ambitious photography projects I started a year ago, the Abstract Series is one of them… and the second I will announce in a week or two on this blog, of coarse.
PHOTOGRAPHY – Abstract Series 12
Last modified on 2008-02-25 12:30:32 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
AS12 Announcement, originally uploaded by hanswendland.
I am happy to announce the release of Abstract Series 12. This collection is comprised of 24 abstract photographs, this series of photographs is the third in an ongoing project focusing on abstract photography of people (see also AS10 & AS11).
I am particularly happy with these photos as the technique I am using is maturing to the point where I am now able to play with subjects and not just capture them. The photos in this collection are unique, and are not digitaly retouched at all, they are the raw output from my Canon 5D.
As with the other photography series, a book containing all three Abstract Series (10, 11 & 12), will be available shortly on my website for browsing and purchase.
You may preview the entire series on Flickr where I have mapped the location of where I took each photo.
New for this series is the commentary on this blog. I enjoyed taking these shots and I will comment on some of them here. In this series, unlike the others, I framed each photo with a black border, I usually don’t do this, however each one of these photos is meant to be printed in very large formats (my favorite is 1 x 1.5 meters on canvas, but they can also be printed on traditional large media) and I wanted to isolate each photo so that the viewer looking at these photos on the web, may be able to better focus on the imagery.
In 2008 I hope to have a show focused on the Abstract Series photos, where a selection of prints on canvas (1 x 1.5m) will be for sale. Details of the event will be posted here.
PHOTOGRAPHY – Atelier Isis Osiris
Last modified on 2008-02-25 12:32:00 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
Atelier Isis Osiris – 01, originally uploaded by hanswendland.
I recently had the pleasure to photograph a live performance of the dance troop from Atelier Isis Osiris at a Jerry Marotta concert. The dance troop focuses on “Middle Estern” dance and at the concert performed a solo set and danced with the jaz performance on stage on several songs.
PHOTOGRAPHY – South of Houston
Last modified on 2008-02-25 12:35:06 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
IMG_3975, originally uploaded by hanswendland.
A Jazz Night at the SoHo Cafe
Walk by the SoHo Cafe in Lugano, Switzerland and hear the sirens calling your
name, enchanting you with their smiles and intoxicating you with their song.
Find your way inside to smell the aroma of passion, music and dance.
See all the people, feel all the people, let them take you and then come back.
PHOTOGRAPHY – Vibrations at the Creepy Crawl
Last modified on 2008-02-25 12:36:32 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
IMG_9093, originally uploaded by hanswendland.
I shot a series of abstract photos at The Creepy Crawl with two bands that were performing live, Bullets and Octane & The Vibrators. The Creepy Crawl is located in beautiful downtown St. Louis. They specialize in Punk, Ska, HardCore, Emo, Indie, Grind, Thrash, Hard Rock, Goth, Death Metal, Power Metal, New Metal etc… basically anything loud.
Both the bands and the people were great! You can see the photos in the book PDF:
Vibrations at the Creepy Crawl
Featured Bands:
Bullets and Octane
Orange County
CAGene Louis, James Daniel, Brent Clawson, Ty Smith
The Vibrators
London
Ian “Knox” Carnochan, Pat Collier, John Ellis and Eddie
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