In October of 2010 I was asked by Manual creative of San Francisco to participate in a new print publication called Loose Leaf. This week Loose Leaf is finally out in the world.
Featuring a limited edition of work from a small group of artists Loose Leaf aims to be a unique publication delivered as unbound posters that are designed to be displayed on your wall. Think of it as “a hybrid that blends periodical, poster, collectible archive and art gallery.” http://www.looseleafeditions.com
For the Loose Leaf project I photographed the Linear Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at the National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC) in Stanford, California. One of the most powerful lasers in the world capable of making images of atoms and molecules and a machine at the forefront of research in the fields of energy, physics, and science, I found myself oddly comfortable photographing it. It was one of those experiences that photography brings where invariably it prompts questions inside my head about our world. Certainly it was one of the most interesting locations I’ve been to photograph. The complete body of work is now live on my site here. http://www.michellemccarron.com/stills/new—the-lcls-project/
Other artists involved with Loose Leaf edition 1 include Jeff Canham, Dave Eggers, Dwight Eschliman, Mark Giglio, Jake Longstreth, Richard Misrach, Louisa Parris, Andrew Zuckerman.
The official launch party is tomorrow night in San Francisco. Please come by to see the project and say Hello.
At a tumultuous time in history unlike anything we’ve seen since the fall of communism in the east, today we watch as one by one dictators fall from power across the middle east. Dictators who’ve been in power for 30, 50 years and in the case of Bahrain the same family the Al-Khalifa family has been in power for 190 years. The revealing thing about dictatorships is that many of them are propped up by governments in the west. Only when popular resistance really takes hold do we then watch as these culpable western powers try to put some distance between themselves and the dictator. Only when access to the middle east’s oil becomes threatened do we seem to care about injustice. Only then do we invoke our ideas of democracy abroad. The US, France, Italy and Britain are all guilty in this respect.
In 1999 I was in London when Augusto Pinochet former dictator of Chile was arrested on the principle of universal jurisdiction while visiting the country. Pinochet ascended to power backed by the US and the CIA after a military coup that overthrew the democratically elected socialist leader Allende. Pinochet is alleged to be responsible for various human rights abuses during his reign including murder and torture of political opponents. It is estimated that he killed 3000 of his own people and tortured thousands more.
These photos were shot in Trafalgar Square on Jan 17th 1999 during the ‘March for Justice’ when thousands called for Pinochet’s extradition to Spain to answer charges of genocide and torture. He died without ever being convicted of any crimes of which he was accused. Let us hope that justice prevails in the middle east and that the people of the revolution will be allowed to become architects of their own democratic futures.
Artists are constantly influencing each other. As a visual artist I can be inspired to create something just as much by a musician or writer as by another photographer, filmmaker or painter. It doesn’t matter their medium. If you resonate with it, it has affected you. Our subjects too, be they a scientist, an activist, a farmer or an athlete can leave a mark. I suppose it”s correct to say everyone has the potential to have an influence.
The following clip is from Icelandic artist Jónsi, lead singer of the band Sigur Rós. They have been part of that group of individuals that have inspired me to feel something in life. I shot this last year at a show in San Francisco, been graciously afforded the opportunity by band management to do so.
This is just shooting for the pure enjoyment of photographing a favorite artist.
