It's always the case that when a new semester starts, I start falling back on entries and updates to my website and blog. It's something that I'm used to but I'm not fond of. That scares me a little bit.
A couple of entries ago I posted about my work with the Getty Master class inspired by the work of Japanese photographer Mikiko Hara. Well the opening reception was weeks ago and the exhibition is still up and running. There are a few days left (I believe a week) to catch it before the photos go down so if you want to catch it, you have until March 6 to see my work, as well as my colleagues, at The Japan Foundation LA.
It was rather nice seeing my work being hung on a wall other than mine or a friend's. There's that feeling of validation and pride, however big or small, in seeing your work in more established walls and them being seen by people you don't know. I was the only one there that specifically shot a 1x1 ratio using a 6x6 medium format film camera (like Mikiko does) and the only one who submitted a black and white photo to which I received a number of compliments for. That was a lovely experience. I think our contingent have the best photos in that exhibit.
I'm thankful and honored to be a part of this class and exhibit. I put in some hard work shooting on film. I had many misses but for the ones that did work, they worked out spectacularly. With that said, I'm really excited to tell you that I will be a part of the next Getty Master Class and this one is going to be much bigger and exciting. For starters, it's going to focus on alternative processes which is great because it's pretty much my territory. Having worked in an actual darkroom wet lab, having that experience, and printing in a number of processes, I'm well equipped to take on this project. Secondly, the venue the photos will be displayed in is HUGE. As in the Getty museum! How awesome is that? The Getty rarely, if ever, showcase student work and to be able to have this chance and say that my work has hung on the walls of The Getty?! Once in a lifetime. However I am working hard to get more chances to have my works on major walls in the future. Only time will tell.
Ideas are being conjured. Proverbial chess pieces are being placed. I can't wait to start work on this project. Updates will surely be made and will come when they come.
As far as new content being added to my site, I have a few unpublished projects on the back burner (read: uploaded) but I haven't made them public yet as they're not ready. I also have some new multimedia to upload and they will be added in the next couple of days when I have downtime from the chaos that is the newsroom.
-Q