Ian Aleksander Adams

Thanks to some great and generous people, a show for May has pretty much dropped into my lap. As of two days ago, I had no physical shows planned to coincide with my last month at SCAD.

Now, it’s going to be at the Starland, Cafe and Gallery, right near Desoto Row in Savannah, for the month of May. That’s 11 East 41st Street, between Bull and Drayton, next to the dog park.

There will be an unofficial opening night during First Friday, May 1st, and a closing reception on May 29th, the night before SCAD’s Graduation Commencement where I’ll be receiving my BFA.

The show, which includes work from all three of my straight photography books, is called Prelude to Gray Days, and is a sort of prologue to the public release of Gray Days, which will be available on my website soon.

Here’s a flyer:

Feel free to spread it around and tell your friends. I’d love to see people come out. This will by my first solo or collaborative show that my parents and my best friend from my formative years will actually be able to attend, so even though it’s a pretty laid back space, I’m very excited about it. It’s also my last show as an undergraduate student, so while I know school is just some thing and not really an epic hurdle… well, it feels a little important. I admit, I’m a bit verklempt.

I’d hope as many of you as possible can drop by – I’ll be sending out facebook invitations and actually printing some posters to put around town. Anyone who wants to bring some kind of potluck dish, let me know and I’ll trade you a print for your cooking skills. Beth and I will also supply some drinks and food and Michael at Starland Cafe says there’s a good chance they will have some treats out as well.

Much love!
-Ian

I know I just posted some stuff from Danny, but I cannot get over this:

Choose Your Player! from Daniel Leyva on Vimeo.

Animated GIF renditions of sacred Altars

View full proposal here.

The new issue of Ahorn Magazine is out, and I’m extremely proud to have an essay included within,  along with all the other amazing work. The essay is titled “On Fear and Photography: Opening a Discussion on Lost Images.” Here’s an excerpt:

There is some wonderful discourse on images not made by photographers. Most of this writing, such as the excellent and often poetic text on Photographs Not Taken, collected by Will Steacy, deals with this idea in relation to choice: A photograph avoided by moral judgment, the desire to be more in the moment, the conscious choice to not raise the lens. In contrast, the discussion of accidental loss is often relegated to technical forums and darkroom hallways: “My CF Card crashed, the bride and groom will kill me! Please help!” or the wails of a first year student, “My Film! Oh Crap My Film!”

While the majority of academic and professional writing is concerned with the conscious choices of image making, the average person has more experience with the second kind of non-image: the image accidentally lost. These experiences are educational, as photographers learn to take better care of their equipment, to properly secure their film canister while developing, etc, but the impact of these experiences on memory and the resulting fear of loss is often less explored.

You can read the whole essay here. There’s also a whole slew of good stuff included in the issue. Ben Alper, of The Exposure Project, has his “Family Dig” featured. The second portfolio, which I’d never seen before, is that of Nicola Kast: “How Can We Be So Different.” There is an interview with Andrea Diefenbach, a review of  Alec Soth’s Dog Days Bagota by Shawn Gust,  Robert Adam’s The New West (reissue) reviewed by Daniel Shea, and Bertrand Fleuret’s Landmasses and Railways reviewed by Adam Bell. Finally, Ahorn’s Editors Anya Jasbär and Daniel Augschöll wrote a recommendation of Magdalena Fischer’s Things Unnecessary.

Go check it out!

Jason Scott Kofke is applying for a Rhizome grant this cycle. You can see his application, including an artist statement and plan for the funds, here.

I’ve seen a lot of work following this motif, but Jason was the first, and consistently the best. Much better than “Everything Will Be Alright” and all that other wannabe junk. His work is a Savannah legend and a worldwide meme. I’m sure I could be convinced that, you know, nothing is original, but I think he deserves some credit.

EVERYTHING WILL BE OK

This is the title of all works of art I make. It has been my title for five years now. I write these words across train cars or construction site sidewalks. I create hundreds of profiles on Myspace with ‘Everything Will Be OK’ as their names (they only ‘friend’ themselves.) I fill mead composition books by hand writing this meme.

My first proposal for your grant is to use the funding to incorporate, and most importantly, trademark this work. Second, the grant will be used to fund new social projects and third, maintain projects I have already began here in Atlanta.

I have reached a plateau in this work and it is now under threat: In Savannah, Atlanta, Jacksonville and Miami, New York City and Chicago, I have been promoting this phrase by utilizing channels of the moribund, the disregarded, the dilapidated, and the pathetic. In some sub-social circles it has been noticed, celebrated, and renowned. My greatest fear is that someone more cunning than I might attempt to turn a profit with it. I thus plan to incorporate the business ‘Everything Will Be OK’ with the appropriate, legally viable trademark upon its visual manifestations so that it may be always free. This legal filing is researched and prepared, but yet without funding of registration fees and legal costs.

Everything Will Be OK, Latex Condoms • 2008 • 9″ x 38″ x 7″ • vinyl lettering on condom vending machine

Everything Will Be OK, Microfiche • 2008 • 20″ x 18″x 17″ • image set microcard and microfiche viewer

Everything Will Be OK, MLK BLVD • 2007 • 4′ x 80′ • wheat paste, paper, paint, glue on construction site

Everything Will Be OK, gallery installation • 2007 • 16′ x 48′  • latex paint on gallery wall

Everything Will Be OK, 1979 • 2008 • 9″ x 7″ • letterpress in case binding

A brief slection from images posted on The Art of Memory.

me: dont stop believing
Traci: don’t stop behooving
me: dont stop dehoofing
Traci: dont stop deluging
me: dont stop deluding
Traci: dont stop polluting
me: dont stop repudiating
Traci: don’t stop do stopping
me: don’t start beginning

via sunleisz

You know, there’s some really interesting context to all of this (BLDGBLOG), but sometimes I just want to strip it all away and see what’s left.

So, I was just browsing the free section of craigslist as I talked about earlier and much  to my dismay I learned of a horrible tragidy!

MISSING TEEN (Pooler, GA)

---

Reply to:
Date: 2009-04-17, 7:09PM EDT

My daughter Sabrina Dawn Saunders ran away Wednesday morning. However, in the state of Georgia, at age 17, she is no longer considered a juvenile, which is why the police department aren’t doing much about it. She has psychiatric problems and is OFF her medication.

She is in the company of Justin Tyler Megginson. Please look at www.myspace.com/redneckgirlsabrina for pictures of her. If have seen her or Justin, please call 911. She is listed in NCIC as a missing person.

PLEASE help us find our daughter!!

About me:
SABRINA NO LONGER HAS ACCESS TO THIS MYSPACE ACCOUNT. IF YOU WANT TO CONTACT HER, YOU WILL HAVE WONDER, LIKE THE REST OF US, IF SHE IS ALIVE OR NOT. IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON HER WHEREABOUTS, PLEASE CALL 911 OR 912-398-0747.

Justin & Sabrina~for ever n always!

SABRINA SAUNDERS

Apr 14 2009 2:06 AM heyy baby:) i just wanted to let you know that i love you with all my heart!! & to let you know that i miss you very very much. everythang thats going on isnt our fault & isnt fair. but like you said we’re not givin up. you done fucking around with lil hoes. and im done fucking aroung with immature lil waanaa be nigga’s. we got each other & have since we first met back in jan. us being together has made me super happy & im proud to say im gna spend the rest of my life with you! its just sooo amaizing. i never thought id be in ,love like this but damnn you goottta hold of me you damn [B.O.O.G.E.R.] not any ol’ booger but [M.Y.][B.O.O.G.E.R] iloveyou justin tyler megginson your my life and i would never change that & hell yeah were proving you stank ass bitches wrong. what we got is super strong try & fuck with that: and we will fuck you up what we got is no joke!!! so yeahhh. any who back to my boo! iloveyou & will forever&aways cant wait till the two big days:) iloveyoumyhubby:) LOVE: ya’ wifey [sabrina.dawn.megginson. ]♥

It’s been two whole days, anything could have happened in that time. Sabrina and Justin you are in our prayers and hearts.