161 thoughts on “imants krumins – painter”

  2. panos skoulidas

    ok..7:30am here..talked too much…gained to little…
    here watched too little, gained so much…
    This is pure Imants and some fools say that it takes an Imants to know one…
    And Imants kept it “real” once again…

    i got in bed, checked iphone for latest burn developments… i saw (new essay/flash required)..
    i could give a fuck…i wouldnt even leave my bed or should i say Kim’s bed not even if i had that phone call/message that my mother was dead…. but…
    but when i realized its a new Imants essay up, i got out of bed, gave the kids a day off, didnt drive the school, didnt make breakfast nor coffee..didnt feed the pets didnt even go pee…(not yet)

    Brilliant…
    and yes i aint got no kids , nor pets , but what if i did?

    can i watch it again? yes i can..
    see now why i love burn so much? need to say more?
    didnt think so…
    one of the top 5 slideshows on burn so far…
    i already started to love that 2011 thing….
    thanks imants…but i hate u for one thing..u just ruined my sleeping pills buzz..and i was so ready!
    who needs coffee when u got a genius motherf****r like Imants around?
    i mean really…and think before u answer my question…no rush…
    good day

  3. bob black

    “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow
    of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy: he hath
    borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how
    abhorred in my imagination it is! my gorge rims at
    it. Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know
    not how oft. Where be your gibes now? your
    gambols? your songs? your flashes of merriment,
    that were wont to set the table on a roar? Not one
    now, to mock your own grinning? quite chap-fallen?..”
    –Hamlet, Shakes

    How does one reconcile themselves to the swarm and sware of all that which passes in front and disappears….

    to sharpen it? to stop it? to carve and cut and confuse it up, i say….

    As a painter, I once hate the Pop masters…and it took me a long time to like, understand and finally love all that great stuff that the house of Rauschenberg, Johns, Lichtenstein and Rosenquist, carve up for us….but as I grew up, as a person and a painter, I cherished those Pop madmen as much as the Expressionists (Rothko, Pollack, Kline, Still, etc) who’d nurtured my hunger as a young man. In fact, I’ve always loved Imants work in the same way that I love Rauschenberg….a tilt and tab of everything mixes, with a bit a humour and self-deprecation and deep, rich melancholy…

    for you see, to me, it is best, for me, to think of Imants’ books and essays and stories in the name way one thinks of Rauschenbergs’ Combines….rooster, bed, cum, blood, time, sheep, tire, paint, billboard, death, laughter, piss, clock, drip, drip drip….for Raushcenberg took the angst of the Abstract Expressionists and rejected it for a more basic, more approachable love/angst: that of the beautiful detritus of the world….One needs to look at the brilliant humor of the images and the imaginative editing (love love the use of white and of course the text that does NOT allow us to ‘read the caption before looking at the art’)….because in truth, it’s all contrived…we’re all contrivance and makers, re-setters and pasters….

    this is not about the power of photography….this is about the power of the human imagination to recombine, with uglyness and sloppiness and pathos, the entirety of memory and sight….mixing the ‘weight’ of history (china, klee, time, deportation) with the glee of now (cartoon, piss, ass, sidewalk)….for it is all there in front of us to begin with…and it is damn sloppy and damn funny….

    and then there is this simple thing:

    think of your bed….

    the covers spray and splayed after a good night of sleep, after a good fucking, after a good cry….what does it look like….nothing as neat and organized as the bed when made…and yet..

    which is the bed that best shows the life lived/slept/fucked/tear’d….

    that’s a no brainer….

    our resident Pop Combine Illustration Comic madman….

    and i love this humor and i love it’s illustration and i love that this is NOT photography….but it is a wonderful and funny and inspired story of us…and time….and loss….

    big hugs
    bob

    p.s. JIM; Well, the same could be applied for such an empty, depressing comment as yours…and besides, your slog off on Imants use of band-width, is really a slog-off on David’s use of band-with….

    all is vanity, tear down ;))

  4. eva

    Oh yeah.. except for the last two sentences, way to real and reasoned, I was floating somewhere and those tied me back to earth..

  10. Jay Carey

    Dear troubled friends, I rather like the man, moreso after viewing his website, that the images here and there make you want to look again, and like some old or undated photos that make you want to know more, with the construction and juxstaposing of, different elements, which compel, a persistance, to think, no?

  14. bob black

    ok, here is another way to enter Imant’s story…..besides of what i tried to write, begin here:

    “Take a second look. It costs you nothing.” — Chinese proverb

    “A small cottage wherein laughter lives is worth more than a castle full of tears”-chinese proverb…

    one should never be so serious or so self-involved with the examination of things that one forgets to laugh…..laughing doesn’t mean work is superficial, but to the contrary, contains recognition….i dont know a better way to start a day then with a smile….hard not to see that from frame 1 ;))….

    or maybe, if Rauschenberg is too ‘serious’ there is this:

    http://www.jerseyshorevacation.com/AGSW-TreasureHuntMaze.jpg

    :))

  18. panos skoulidas

    here is a “hint”, “tip” to relate to Imants’s work:

    Eisenstein’s theory of montage

    In formal terms, this style of editing offers discontinuity in graphic qualities, violations of the 180 degree rule, and the creation of impossible spatial matches. It is not concerned with the depiction of a comprehensible spatial or temporal continuity as is found in the classical Hollywood continuity system. It draws attention to temporal ellipses because changes between shots are obvious, less fluid, and non-seamless.[clarification needed]
    Eisenstein describes five methods of montage in his introductory essay “Word and Image”. These varieties of montage build one upon the other so the “higher” forms also include the approaches of the “simpler” varieties. In addition, the “lower” types of montage are limited to the complexity of meaning which they can communicate, and as the montage rises in complexity, so will the meaning it is able to communicate (primal emotions to intellectual ideals). It is easiest to understand these as part of a spectrum where, at one end, the image content matters very little, while at the other it determines everything about the choices and combinations of the edited film.
    Eisenstein’s montage theories are based on the idea that montage originates in the “collision” between different shots in an illustration of the idea of thesis and antithesis. This basis allowed him to argue that montage is inherently dialectical, thus it should be considered a demonstration of Marxism and Hegelian philosophy. His collisions of shots were based on conflicts of scale, volume, rhythm, motion (speed, as well as direction of movement within the frame), as well as more conceptual values such as class.

  19. panos skoulidas

    Intellectual MONTAGE

    – uses shots which, combined, elicit an intellectual meaning.
    Intellectual montage examples from Eisenstein’s October and Strike. In Strike, a shot of striking workers being attacked cut with a shot of a bull being slaughtered creates a film metaphor suggesting that the workers are being treated like cattle. This meaning does not exist in the individual shots; it only arises when they are juxtaposed.
    In The Godfather, during Michael’s nephew’s baptism, the priest performs the sacrament of baptism while we see killings ordered by Michael take place elsewhere. The murders thus “baptize” Michael into a life of crime.
    At the end of Apocalypse Now the execution of Colonel Kurtz is juxtaposed with the villagers’ ritual slaughter of a water buffalo…..

  20. panos skoulidas

    More on intellectual montage
    In his later writings, Eisenstein argues that montage, especially intellectual montage, is an alternative system to continuity editing. He argued that “Montage is conflict” (dialectical) where new ideas, emerge from the collision of the montage sequence (synthesis) and where the new emerging ideas are not innate in any of the images of the edited sequence. A new concept explodes into being. His understanding of montage, thus, illustrates Marxist dialectics.
    Concepts similar to intellectual montage would arise during the first half of the 20th century, such as Imagism in poetry (specifically Pound’s Ideogrammic Method), or Cubism’s attempt at synthesizing multiple perspectives into one painting. The idea of associated concrete images creating a new (often abstract) image was an important aspect of much early Modernist art.
    Eisenstein relates this to non-literary “writing” in pre-literate societies, such as the ancient use of pictures and images in sequence, that are therefore in “conflict”. Because the pictures are relating to each other, their collision creates the meaning of the “writing”. Similarly, he describes this phenomenon as dialectical materialism.

  22. panos skoulidas

    “…………Montage is about construction.

    No wonder that Eisenstein was developing the theory of montage at the time of the great revolutionary constructivism of the 20s. Engineering the film, almost as an architect. “Montage-thinking” teaches you to organize film “from the end” — you don’t “edit” the footage, you are getting the shots the way they will be on the screen. Let the news guys and documentary film-makers call the post-production time “editing.” Too bad, thanks to Eisenstein, you see in dictionaries the definition of montage as “rapid sequence of shots”!
    Montage is based on what is known as “Kulishev Effect” — this early Russian film-maker played with his footage, gluing together man’s face and a shot of a plate with food, or the same face and a naked girl…. Surprisingly, the same closeup of man looks different next to a new following shot. First — hunger. Second — lust. How could it be? You do it, the public. You try to connect the two and make sense out of the combination of two shots. Eisenstein declared that the shot by itself is “neutral” (have zero meaning till it position in context of other shots).

    Well, next step was to shoot the first and the second shot in such a way that it will produce the effect we desire. Sounds simple.

    But wait a minute!

    Doesn’t the shot have its own meaning? (see semiotics page) Look at the posters, magazine covers — a sexy girl is a sexy girl! Well, not in MOTION PICTURES. You see, the original meaning is only the first part of the visual statement, according to montage theory. It’s open and — incomplete. What is missing in the static world of images? You! What montage does — the thought (action) in evolution with the next shot “throws the meaning” on the previous shot! (In primitive terms we call it a reaction shot). The second shot in its turn is incomplete also — it asks for another shot! That’s how we crave for continuity and can’t take our eyes away from the screen! Well, montage theory doesn’t look so simple anymore.

    Should I mention that we remember all the shots and there are relations between each shot of the movie with ALL other shots?

    Any great film shot is always “open” structure!………..”

  25. Neven

    after watching a couple of times imants draft
    I think it’s a guy with a lot of ego and arrogance
    especially the phrase
    haw long should i spend looking at a single photograph?
    (with photo of dog. fast and almost without looking. he just telling us ,,everything is shit except my art,,)
    but still like me
    it is positive .

  26. panos skoulidas

    I think it’s a guy with a lot of ego and arrogance
    ————————————————-

    not arguing , nor defending Imants either here, but wouldnt they say the same things about Dali or picasso ?

  29. panos skoulidas

    haw long should i spend looking at a single photograph?
    ——————————————————-

    no no…its not necessarily a sarcasm (im sure imants will respond at some point)…
    its more of a montage technique thought…

  32. panos skoulidas

    he just telling us ,,everything is shit except my art,
    ——————————————————-

    Neven…!???
    i cant follow your way of thinking…All artists feel the need to create art…DO…
    doing an exhibition or presentation does NOT mean:”im the best”, nor “everyone else is shit”…
    I mean really , i get it if u do not like imants work, but to translate/subtitle him …
    or putting statements in his mouth (everything is shit) really makes no connection, nor any sense..
    and im not offended…by your comment…big smile….but really…u made some weird assumptions above

  33. Imants

    Through the memories of a child re-visioned with the perception of an adult and the collision of thinking on how these worlds are understood. Painter’s practice revolves around the notion that we use memory to make sense of the world but are happy to negate its existence as a reality.

    Painter is a kid’s vehicle of narration………….. that imaginary friend, which sometimes come in the form of a talking dog

  34. eva

    “I think it’s a guy with a lot of ego and arrogance”…

    or just a guy that makes you look into a mirror…

  35. panos skoulidas

    Remember! Controlling = creating YOUR screen time. You direct Space and Time!
    Usually, we call time a fourth dimension. Einstein stated that time and space are inseparable. Manipulating the space, we play with time. There is another category the theory of relativity placed as the most essential — SPEED. Yes, the motion, the very foundation of film — kinematics (cinemato-graphy). But the changes in speed are the ruling principle, that’s how we create “intensification” of time. Obviously each portion of “objective” time has different intensity and film arranges them in a harmony, very much like melody in music. We don’t hear this symphony, we see it!

  38. Imants

    Neven How long one should look at work and should one read captions are legitimate questions. Why does an image of a dog make a statement shit??
    You have taken up the mantle that this is about me maybe the work is about you.

  39. Imants

    This is why it can be about you………
    Neven
    January 14, 2011 at 9:40 am

    this is so crazy.
    but i love it !
    LSD completely
    un saludo imants

    later Neven
    January 14, 2011 at 3:39 pm

    after watching a couple of times imants draft
    I think it’s a guy with a lot of ego and arrogance
    especially the phrase
    haw long should i spend looking at a single photograph?
    (with photo of dog. fast and almost without looking. he just telling us ,,everything is shit except my art,,)
    but still like me
    it is positive .

  40. bob black

    ok, so i tried a poetic and art-referenced longish post :))…then a short post about humor and about children’s drawings/treasure maps (see my above link) and then the post with Rauschenberg links…

    so one last thing…

    first of all, the issue obout ‘how long should you look at a photograph’…i’ll tell you a quick story from today, prefaced with a question:

    How many things do you see, in a moment, as you’re walking through a city/mall/street/town/forest, etc?

    well, the answer is an infinite….not only ALL the things you see (feel,sense,smell, intuit) and think you see (by organizing them into memory) but also all the things you see but do NOT organize into memory….we’re surrounded and inundated by a surfeit of stimuli and we organize this into part and believe (convince ourselves) that there is order (there is not)…we marginalize….we organize only a fraction of what we encounter….we must do this otherwise we would drown,explode beneath the enormity of sensorial experience….this doesn’t even take into account memory of all that came before…

    so, today, i’m walking from school to the subway (after looking at imants story, after having written posts) and ‘consciously’ trying to take in all the visual things, organize them…it is both exciting and exhausting…no order…collision…and yet, there i am, trying to organize all this (and not wanting to)….and thinking of the work i’ve been making for David/Anton/Burn this fall and thinking of the movie Enter the Void and thinking of the novel i just started reading (on wittgenstein) and all this colliding with everything else….

    and then i thought: listen, while the editorial organizing principle above (for me) is closely related to Rauschenberg and to Chinese contemporary art, and while the editing principle is related to montage, for sure, there is somthing much simpler here at play…

    it is about playfullness as an organizing principle….a way to throw togther beauty and shit, seriousness and antipathy, stupid pictures and dumb art with memory of language and place….it is a mashup, entirely…it is illustration, …it is a kind of melody….

    and above all, it is filled with humor and illogic…the only logic that organizes (catastrophe of contact)….

    how long can you look at a photography?..

    is that’ ironic….that we slave over images (i do too) and yet in real life we swallow all in a moment…we assign much more weight to the caught/trapped/fake moment (photograph) then that which passes…and to fight that can be an act of humor…iconoclastic hope…the way a child revolts…

    hope that makes sense too :))

    and for those who don’t know these childbooks:

    nick bantock’s books for children

    http://www.google.ca/images?hl=en&biw=1516&bih=823&q=nick%20bantock%20books&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi

    ok, gotta fly away for the weekend

  42. Thomas Bregulla

    I like this slideshow, as it makes me think. Quite astonishing .. the words, the pictures.
    Brings both things into a context. Now, with what Panos writes it all makes sense.
    I’ve seen stuff from Eisenstein, and here I remember patterns.
    Good work!

  44. Imants

    Panos… thanks etc………
    .
    The Soviet Montage writings by Einstein can be very helpful to the still photographer and storytelling. It won’t make you better but it does open a few avenues of exploration
    Most of my connection to this form of thinking is accidental and subconscious but as hindsight it all fits Other works like thud http://www.etrouko.com/thud.htm and apps http://www.etrouko.com/app.htm are probably closer to that thinking than the one here.

  45. Neven

    Panos !
    no puedes comparar dali o picaso con imants.
    nada mal .pero la verdad el arte de imants y dali no tienen la comparacion.
    aprecio mucho el imants. me parece un arista del siglo xxi . su manera de hacer la fotografia es para mi muy moderna y extravagante. no es mi stilo pero …mucho respecto
    pero este ensayo es un poco triposo.
    me parece un tripi de lsd.
    les tome una quantos en mi vida y por esto lo digo.
    pero .. el imants es un tipo arogante y el lo save muy bien esto . es su parte de juego.
    a que si imants ?
    sorry
    f…. english

  46. Frostfrog

    “I think it’s a guy with a lot of ego and arrogance”
    ————————————————-
    “not arguing , nor defending Imants either here, but wouldnt they say the same things about Dali or picasso ?”

    Or George W. Bush.

    As to me – having had a foolish experience in which I argued with the guy only to discover that there is no arguing with Imants and that rather than giving even one inch he will twist your words into what they do not say and will hammer incessantly away until you throw up your hands in despair and leave, I do believe that he has an ego that cannot be subdued, because his arrogance will not allow it to be.

    Yet… as Panos points out, being egotistic and arrogant does not mean he is not an artist, or that his work does not stand out. I like this piece. I like it a great deal. I am humbled by the level of talent that I see displayed within it. Will it stand in time? Don’t know. But he has proven to me that he can put photos, words and music together in a way that makes them sing. True – when you come to the picture of the dog and are asked how long one should look at a single photograph, you immediately know that you are going to be looking at that photograph longer than any other and at first it seems like a silly execise. Yet, as you look at the photo of the dog, you discover things in that photograph that you would not have, had Imants not insisted that you look longer at it.

    Anyway, its a strange vision and I do not claim to completely understand it all, but I find it well-executed. I think it a excellent job done by a true artist – one with whom I will never argue with again – period.

    Unless maybe we could argue at a bar in New York City. Then I would argue with him.

  47. panos skoulidas

    Thomas im not trying to oversimplify, explain or compare imants with Eisenstein…
    in fact if we were talking about football and i had to take sides i would definitely chose Imants “comparing” to Eisenstein….

  48. panos skoulidas

    Panos !
    no puedes comparar dali o picaso con imants.
    nada mal .pero la verdad el arte de imants y dali no tienen la comparacion.
    aprecio mucho el imants. me parece un arista del siglo xxi . su manera de hacer la fotografia es para mi muy moderna y extravagante. no es mi stilo pero …mucho respecto
    —————————–

    Neven, i get it…i wasnt trying to compare..i was trying to “relate”
    big hug

  49. panos skoulidas

    Bill…
    i get what u saying…but theres nothing really to argue about…
    Do i personally like each and every jim morrison song ??? of course not…
    but the boy can sing!

  50. john gladdy

    I have no use for this piece. if it has something for me then I guess I will have to do without it. I can live with that.
    Panos’s spirited wikipedia ‘cut and paste’ defence is amusing though, if somewhat off the mark here.

    IMANTS. mirrors often give false readings and should be treated with caution.

  51. Imants

    Bob
    Yes there is something simple kids and adults can be poles apart in their reasoning and memories of events.
    You are a lot more familiar with what I do than most and you have taken part of the journey with me. This was supposed to be the first book in a new series and was completed. Three days ago I looked at it and deleted the book from my computer and threw the hard copy away. Why… because it didn’t belong. Book seven of my first series was also deleted, thrown tin the bin and the seriousness of that was combined this tongue in cheek of “painter”.
    Now I am free to get on with http://www.etrouko.com/imantskrumins.htm
    You are right this work here is more about what one does than what form this essay takes

  52. Imants

    Bill take the personal spat out ……….. I guess you cannot Maybe it was your ego and arrogance at play as well. But the bar is not a good place to argue you could end up pissed as a nit and I will be sober as I don’t drink, smoke, take weed just ….

  55. Imants

    IMANTS. mirrors often give false readings and should be treated with caution.
    Sometimes John they are very useful and do not give false readings as you know………..

  56. panos skoulidas

    Unless maybe we could argue at a bar in New York City. Then I would argue with him.
    ———————————————————
    bring the fight down to venice beach and all 3 of us we would be dead before we would even know it…
    laughing … (im just playing)

  60. panos skoulidas

    yes, i agree….i met him in a bar somewhere in athens greece almost 20 years ago…and the only thing i know is that he has a fine taste (ladies regarding)..other than that i have no idea about his arrogance etc…

  63. bob black

    IMANTS :))

    the BEST thing i can write here about this book (even after all the posts i’ve written so far, and i’m sure i’ll wade in more this weekend) is this:

    when i watched it the first time today (6:45 am.) it made me smile, genuinely, lovingly, happily smile….and i don’t mean that at all in any patronizing way, i just thought to myself: just so wonderful, wonderful in the sense of playfulness and humor and I-dnt-give-a-gecko’s-ass but that i make books…and that IS as it should be :)))))….and i’ll always follow, always, your mad treasure maps and chinese-locked-boxes :)))

    John G:

    just a thought: why is it so hard for folk to be able to look at something and just think: is not all that we do disposable…….and that doesn’t anyone see the pure ‘madness’ and ‘joy’ of the construction of this…construction as an act is as much about seeing as seeing itself…

    ok, here’s a film:

  64. john gladdy

    IMANTS RE Mirrors. Absolutely! But how does one tell?
    I mean, ‘love changes everything..but then so do bombs’. If you get my drift.

    MIMI. SSSHHH! Panos will hear you and start posting wiki quotes in a vaguely passive aggressive manner again.

  66. panos skoulidas

    …. anyone see the pure ‘madness’ and ‘joy’ of the construction of this…
    —————————
    yeah bob keep talking to the wall..
    big hug brother;)

  68. panos skoulidas

    comparing me with You and Imants?
    thanks…im trying..im a little behind…gasping for breath…but, im on the same track…both of u slow down…let the brotha catch up…will ya? please?

  70. Justin Partyka

    Imnants:

    I started to watch but my MacBook Pro went a little crazy: the fan start spinning like an Apache rotor and I thought I better shut Burn down before the computer took off or blew up!

    Nothing on Burn has done that to my computer before…

  73. Jeff Hladun

    Justin – I too had the flying fan a’working. Don’t worry – it’s not misunderstood genius frying your computer’s innards, just the bandwidth needed to download the music. Which got me to thinking: I’ve been following Imants’ railings against the written word attached to photos, and I wonder why it is that he feels music has to be attached to his story? Does not the heaviness, ponderousness and gravitas of the sound-work direct us to an aspect of our imaginings, not unlike the way a photojournalist uses words as a means for editorializing a photo collection? Could not this story be told without the sound? I can see how Bob finds it funny and whimsical – if the story was silent – but with the music I think it should be perceived as anything but.

    Imants – I’ve always wanted to say this, but have been waiting for the right moment:

    Congratulations on being published here on Burn! ;-)

  74. Jeff Hladun

    Another thing – too often this site seems to be only about emerging photojournalists, and not emerging photographers as is the stated intent. It is quite enjoyable to see a story such as this one here – even if it is only once in awhile.

    Not intended as a criticism whatsoever…

  75. Justin Partyka

    I took it as a sign that Imants was at the peak of his Burn powers and could blow-up computers at will with his… whatever you want to call them. Art works, messages, masterpieces, not sure…

  76. Imants

    Jeff
    thanks…… I am not a photographer I just use photographs and pit them against other forms of communication. I am quite akin to see the text or music annihilate the images as I am happy to see images contradict one another.
    Music is introduced as ‘full stops’ but never as the driving force plus it gives on another activity to partake in and a chance to ignore the images
    Did process overtake content?

  78. Glenn Campbell

    Imants – I was having trouble with it last night after a bottle of Red – having less now with a cup of coffee and a hangover , Bob’s right – It’s worth a second look!

  79. Jeff Hladun

    My last comment directed at Justin..

    No Imants, it wasn’t overtaken at all, except in a technical, unimportant sense that it caused my slow internet connection to take its sweet time. But it does give it direction and intent, and perhaps even a linearity that I always thought would appal you. Maybe there is a way to present stories in a random way, yet still keep the message intact. Or, present a story in a typical edit, and make the message random.

  80. Imants

    Jeff Kids are happy to no anything but it may not make sense …… as a kid (no TV where I lived) I got pictures out pictures and played music to them. I didn’t always look at the pictures while I played the music. It all makes sense? ……the dog watched

  81. Imants

    Thanks Glenn, yea it was created via coffee. painter is more means to an end, a way of doing but at the same time it is a completed work

  83. Frostfrog

    “I will be sober as I don’t drink, smoke, take weed just ….”

    Now you have genuinely made me smile in a happy way, Imants. I’m glad to learn this. Coffee, maybe? Or juice?

  85. Imants

    Down to three a day Bill ……. that Italian coffee machine of mine is like a ducati too good to just look at………. sadly the ducati is long gone.

  86. Jeff Hladun

    My reception of the story doesn’t have to make sense – agreed. Interpretation and association, either. (Perhaps) i can associate the story 10 ways to sundown – that’s one view. Perhaps I can riff on the associations/interpretations of others, too; thank goodness for Bob’s consistent pulls on that front!

    Push comes to shove, my favourite approach is to understand the photographer and to understand the photographer’s photographs. I’m not sure which comes first; so far it has been a bit of both. I “know” Harvey (from here) before I “knew” his photography; but I knew Sally Mann’s photographs before I came to know her. I look for a smooth transition from maker to work, or vice versa. There is a consistency in the character of the person and the character of the work.

  88. Imants

    Yea Jeff that consistency is a damn mean beast and I am forever trying to slay it ………. I am hoping that what I do next will put that beast to rest. Others out there love it

  89. Lee Guthrie

    Imants, I’m still viewing. And you guys are so fast and furious there is no keeping up. So I will write something tomorrow after I ‘digest’ it a bit.

    Lee

  91. Imants

    The music is by Kevin MacLeod, I usually have a little credit on the last slide unless it is made up via garage band, paid for or gratis (no credits required)
    I had to change the scale to covert to quicktime and looks like the last image was the one without the credit. Burn /David could you please place it in the credits
    .

    thanks for bringing it up

  92. Gordon Lafleur

    I’ve just run through this again, after re-reading the comments, hoping for illumination, STRETCH,,,,GROW a little.

    But I’ve got to be honest, tired of being nice,(don’t beat around the bush Lafleur, say what you think), OK, I DO get it. I see this as playful, yes, but in a cynical “fuck you” sort of way. A cynical sideways code kinda way.

    Kinda fun stuff, but in the end, I just see it as self-indudglant, psuedo-intellectual ranting. And as usual I HATE the cheezy (ooooh, too heavy man), music.

  96. wendy

    questions..
    self…
    photography
    media
    music
    dreams
    reality,
    that thin line…..
    shapes
    and
    colors…
    artful
    and
    conceptual….
    ***

    I have to agree with G that the music seemed very heavy… but then it worked…. sort of…

  97. Gordon Lafleur

    Imants

    What I get, is that you like to push people’s buttons, and that you think an argument is a discussion.
    I have absolutely no interest in entering a dialogue with you.

    Over and out.

  98. Imants

    Gordon “OK, I DO get it’ here is a definitive comment unfortunately you are not willing to back it up ………I guess what you really got and wanted was the opportunity to personally attack me under the guise of a presentation on burn.
    Now you have decided to cut and run……… have another look at the presentation as it seems it is about you as well

  104. Mike R

    Congratulations on being published here, Imants.

    I’ve watched the essay three times and have some questions.

    With regard to the “it” – is there a universal “it” to get i.e. do you expect the essay to evoke the same emotional response in (almost) everyone or do you expect each viewer to have a different response due to their personal memories and life journey?

    When you call your work “books” is your preferred method of showing your work an actual book, and if so, what size of book?

    No tricks here, Imants, a just straightforward request for information.

    Mike.

  105. Imants

    Books yes it is a series of seven and each “book” is a single artwork not a series of images in a book. Books at this stage are about 11″x81/2″.

    Well the work is public so I really have no control over it…….. personally I don’t mind how it is seen ……… though to text and images do direct one down a certain path. Remember I am not a photographer just someone who uses photographs. The world of mainstream photographic practices were not really as well prepared for the changes in technology as visual artists who via post modernist practices were able to navigate the new technologies with relative ease. The still image as a photograph poses a challenge
    Those that chose to reply just for the sake of attacking me as a person not sure why they bothered, not sure about their “it”

  107. Mike R

    Thanks for the reply Imants, now that we all know that there is not one singlr idea to get perhaps we can all relax and enjoy the work for what it is. Knowing that the work is primarily meant to be viewed as a single artwork has helped as I feel free to pause the essay here and examine more. I find it melancholy.

    The “man” in the overalls is so like a fish! Perceptions challenged here, the more I watch the more I see/feel/sense.

    Best,

    Mike.

  108. Paul Parker

    Imants…
    Well done! Been sitting watching your essay for the last hour…Keep seeing new themes everytime I go back to the begining… I sense a couple of Burn comments have been decisive in your inspiration!!

  109. mw

    Once upon a time, I had an acquaintance who told me a story about Paul Klee. He was an old guy, retired, who had lived most of his life abroad and was an avid follower of the arts. He said that he had attended a Paul Klee exhibit in Paris and had actually met Paul Klee, albeit in a brief introduction/handshake at a public event kinda way. At the time, this old acquaintance lived nearby so he went back to the Klee exhibit many times, and once even saw Klee direct the hanging of a new painting. He said that as the exhibit wore on, new paintings appeared regularly. He said the new paintings were simple, usually no more than a few dots and a circle. Essentially, he thought that Klee was just mass producing meaningless crap. Of course the old guy was a liar and his story was entirely fictional, but his lies were full of shit on another level as well. Even if the whole Paris story was fictional, I think he was honestly expressing his opinion of Klee’s work. That’s where the guy was most full of shit. Klee’s work is certainly meaningful. Both on verbal and non-verbal levels. It’s much more than an idea. It’s an idea realized. We see it every time we look at a magazine or an advertisement or a scene in an artfully constructed movie.

    Be that as it may… regarding the photography in “Painter,” it’s very well conceived and executed. From the conception through the capture all the way through the processing and construction and arrangement on the timeline. Though I guess it isn’t accurate to call these images photography, eh. Better, I think, to call them illustrations. Most excellent illustrations. Each stands on its own and works well as part of a narrative. Each goads us into questioning what it is being illustrated, what story is being told. But with these illustrations, it’s impossible to tell exactly what idea they are illustrating, what story they are telling. That begging for interpretation quality is what elevates them as art.

    From an entirely visual perspective, I like this work very much. I think it’s a fantastic example of how photography can be used outside the traditional methods of photojournalism, art photography, film and literature to create a new art form. Of course this particular work is not a new invention, these type of things have been produced for awhile, but I don’t think it’s near becoming a mummified genre, there’s plenty of opportunity for original work, and in those terms I think this work is a great success. Of course it’s fair to question how much of this sort of thing I’ve actually seen, or simply what I mean by “this sort of thing.” There’s no doubt mountains of work I’m unfamiliar with.

    Be that as it may… “Painter” contains more than compelling illustrations and a fascinating visual narrative. It includes quite a few words as well. Perhaps these words give a few clues to the underlying meaning of the piece?

    “The dog Painter sees things upside down and in color
    Painter decides to reclaim what is rightfully his
    Though once the pages go yellow the person is so dead
    A self Rouault portrait
    who dares not wear a mask?

    “real art”
    forgery, homage, mummery, travesty shan-zhai
    no photo no photo no photo no photo [repeated]
    eventually he became as one with The Bone Collector

    Paul Klee’s work ah love it as an idea
    fake fake fake made up! but we luv da fake

    how long should I spend looking at a single photograph
    should I read the caption before looking at an artwork”

    The opening two lines suggest that this will be about a dog named Painter reclaiming something that is rightfully his, perhaps something to do with color and perspective. The next line contains themes we’ll see throughout the work: the meaning of text, color theory and death. Then we’re off on art expressionist art references and questions of authenticity. Then the seemingly out of place repetition of “no photo.” What does that have to do with anything else? Then the Bone Collector references us back to Painter. Did Painter get off the path of reclaiming what was rightfully his and become just another dog that collects bones? Then the text seems to change perspective, to change from a third person omniscient narrator into the author’s voice. The author emphasizes the authenticity theme, then says something about photographs and captions, The question of Painter reclaiming what’s rightfully his is never resolved. The idea seems to be forgotten. Forgotten in the text, that is. The final image brings Painter full circle.

    Together, the visuals and the text tell a much deeper, much more interesting story than either part standing alone. And they are integral. Still, the text is the weaker part of the whole. At the end, it appears to veer off from the story of Painter and his appreciation of, or inability to appreciate, expressionist art. The lines about photography and captions don’t seem to belong. Do I think that because I am somewhat aware of the artist and his pet peeves? Perhaps, but I don’t think so. I think a lot of people with no biographical knowledge of the artist whatsoever would think those lines out of place as well?

    In summation, I like this a lot but think the text needs work.

  110. bob black

    MW :))))

    you’v studied semiotics? ;))…

    that is a lovely interpretation and a great way for folk to measure the story…

    …..agree completely :))

    cheers
    bob

  111. bob black

    ps. LOVE your story about Klee….klee too is one of my idols….in a league of his own :)) (remind me to tell u when we eventually meet about the folks bewildered at his retrospective at MOMa…

  114. Framers Intent

    I think it’s technically well executed, but it does nothing for me. Imants’ comments in the dialogue on it further do nothing for me. Inconsistency for it’s own sake is (in my opinion) a weak idea if not tied to something more substantive. Inconsistency and vagueness as a device to prevent criticism of a work is (again, in my opinion) cowardice. I can’t help feeling that is what is going on here. Defending a work by simply stating that it’s detractors do not get it isn’t sufficient for me.

    By putting a work in the public domain, the artist (in any field) is de facto asking people to spend time with it. In that case, there should be a reason for us to spend time with it. If there is no reason, then it is fair for us to ask “why?” Further, if there is no reason, the work itself becomes pointless – any other work could be substituted for it with no loss of meaning or intent. I expect a work to have some degree of specificity. With this, I get very little. Why this work, why these images, why this music, why this edit? I suspect Imants could have posted a million different variations on the video with the ensuing discussion and response being exactly the same. In that sense, I think the work fails.

  116. Imants

    Inconsistency for it’s own sake is (in my opinion) a weak idea if not tied to something more substantive………. please explain and inconsistency and vagueness as a device to prevent criticism of a work is ???

    inconsistency of what?

    What gives you the feeling there is no reason?

    I suspect Imants could have posted a million different variations on the video ……… not the case at all. the order is pretty specific
    Hope for some answers

  118. Lee Guthrie

    Imants, love the work. Above my head on many levels; a good artistic piece. Albeit, dark.

    Glad your work has made it to Burn.

  119. Framers Intent

    Imants
    January 14, 2011 at 7:37 pm
    Yea Jeff that consistency is a damn mean beast and I am forever trying to slay it ………. I am hoping that what I do next will put that beast to rest. Others out there love it

  120. david alan harvey

    human perception is the most fascinating of elements…how we see pictures and what they are supposed to DO for us is obviously not set in stone….cool…what could be more interesting than these reactions? and work that does not inspire extreme views probably can only be classified as boring or not consequential….i saw some work in the last few days that stretches the imagination…i will try to get it for Burn…i think we need to explore just as far and wide as we can…the safety of known and common territory seems better placed elsewhere…just a thought….

  121. Paul Parker

    David…
    I like the idea of strectching my imagination…only problem i find it hard to comprehend/digest…need a guiding hand!:) a bit above my head but eager and hungry to learn and stretched!

  122. Imants

    Farmers Intent ……the irony of your post is not lost on me………… you as one who asked for greater transparency your anonymity just adds another bullet to the work’s arsenal. The bonus is that your agreement with another fellow anon poster.
    Yes there is some substance to what you have stated, but now that you have become a part of the work your role is altered.

  127. mtomalty

    So mtomalty you are saying that the burn and I are wasting your time………..

    Imants,
    Actually it was me who was wasting your time
    I was having a shit day and was contributing nothing more than snide comments.Sorry
    Sitting here in a small cabin in the bush south of
    Montreal melting snow on a woodstove to mess around with the watercolors certainly provides the proper antidote to yesterdays stresses
    Will give your piece a fair look later tonight when I get home

  128. Imants

    My dad was a watercolourist…..forever battling the weather, too hot, too cold, not enough water too much water…………. one false move and there was no going back

  129. Gordon L

    mw

    Thanks for your insights. I can appreciate much of what you say, and overall do like the piece.

    It is indeed a well organisised poke at how we view photographs. The last two lines are clearly a poke directed towards how Burnians view photographs, wether a good-natured poke, or a mean spirited one is an open question.

    You are correct that this sort of presentation is certainly not new, and is in fact very commonly seen in wedding albums and wedding slide shows. There are huge numbers of “drag and drop” templates available on the web. In fact some of the simpler templates I’ve seen from Animoto Pro and others look very much like Imants layouts. Substitute romantic quotes and add a Celine Dion sound-track and they would fit right in.

  131. Framers Intent

    Imants
    January 15, 2011 at 2:41 pm
    Farmers Intent ……the irony of your post is not lost on me………… you as one who asked for greater transparency your anonymity just adds another bullet to the work’s arsenal. The bonus is that your agreement with another fellow anon poster.
    Yes there is some substance to what you have stated, but now that you have become a part of the work your role is altered.

    —————————-

    If that even made sense, I’d offer a response. And my anonymity is hardly a choice – if you wish to reduce my internet-created anonymity to you, you’re more than welcome to come over here and meet me.

    The “ps” comment was even more redundant. If you are in any way sceptical of this assertion, I fully suggest that you raise the matter with a professor of logic.

    I’m open to being challenged both artistically and intellectually. But I’m not open to accepting wooly arguments masquerading as profundity. I expect more than that.

  132. Imants

    Farmers Intent ,……….. you are the one masquerading here hiding . You know there is no logic in your “you’re more than welcome to come over here and meet me” as there is no address given.
    Glad to have you on board…….

  133. Imants

    Gordon L………so you changed your name thus disassociate yourself from your previous statements…….. I know your only intent here is to attack me personally. All a bit sad on your part Mr Lafleur

  134. Framers Intent

    I’m in Liverpool and more than happy to meet up with you whenever you happen to be here. I’m not going to post my address here as I generally don’t make my address publicly available for anyone indiscriminately to be able to acquire. We could, however, meet in the cafe area of FACT if you wanted. Or anywhere else in my city.

    It isn’t masquerading nor hiding to converse over the internet which, by design, limits personal interaction by virtue of being predominantly text-based, international, and non-secure. If I posted my home address here, it would be available to everyone – that wouldn’t be safe, so I’m not going to do it. Equating a sense of basic self-preservation with hiding or masquerading, or even being intentionally anonymous, is just silly.

    And, for the sake of clarity, I didn’t accuse you personally of masquerading. I accused your arguments of being wooly and masquerading as profundity. There is a difference. It isn’t a subtle one.

  135. eduardo sepulveda

    ego is seen as a doggy by tarotists

    http://www.google.cl/imgres?imgurl=http://www.lemat.com.ar/LE%2520MAT_archivos/lemat.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.lemat.com.ar/&usg=__xtI0dDTS0yzVCzs3zX7JXlVaqUQ=&h=500&w=255&sz=188&hl=es&start=15&zoom=1&tbnid=l8Q4_sTWqlnAtM:&tbnh=135&tbnw=69&ei=BAUyTYHMOoG-vgP_guzQCw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dle%2Bmat%26hl%3Des%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DG%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:es-ES:official%26biw%3D960%26bih%3D597%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C828&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=948&oei=vgQyTfebG8j0gAfY0Yy1Cw&esq=2&page=2&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:15&tx=25&ty=55&biw=960&bih=597

    down left side of ‘le mat’

    dalmatian is really much nicer !!

    p.s. but also very smart

  136. Gordon L

    Sighhh…Oh..Imants,…………..(anyone,fill in the blank)

    I’ve never changed my name, I am logged in at my office computer, which has always
    listed me as Gordon L. You seem easily confused.
    Anyone else out there notice that for the past few years my posts appear as Gordon L as well as Gordon Lafleur?
    If I had wanted to change my name, would I have picked Gordon L and linked it to the same gallery? duh.

    I have no wish to disassociate myself from my previous statements.

  142. Gordon Lafleur

    Imants

    I have been having a hot bath, after a day shooting portraits, drinking a glass of red wine (sorry, know you are a tea totaler), composing in my head a long post to you. Here is a small piece of it.

    First, congratulations on your publication here. Despite what you may think, I like what you do.

    Second, I must appologize. Yes, my first comment really did decend into the personal. Shame on me. I try to keep my comments civil, and failed here. Probably red wine was involved. I do drink too much.

    My perception, and judgment of your essay was coloured by my perception and judgment of you as a person. Imants, you gotta know, from my perspective at least, you come off as a fountain of negativity. Your burn persona is the cynical heckler, constantly trying to pick a fight. This does seem to have receded as of late, but my impressions were still there. You have heckled me, and others for no good reason.

    As a result of my pre-conceptions and impressions of you personally, I viewed and reacted to this work in that context and from that perspective.

    Anyway Imants, I am glad to have you here as well.

    I could go on and on, but my life beckons. My wife and a friend are in the living room chatting. In an hour I will go and play music at a 70th birthday party gig. I love my life. I love burn.

  143. mw

    Bob, I don’t’ recall ever reading anything with “semiotics” in the title, but if we take Eco’s definition that it is everything that can be taken as a sign, well yes, I study it all the time. I did study linguistics some, both as as an undergrad and at the graduate level, so no doubt came across semiotics, or certainly related ideas, back then, though I have no conscious memory of anything I learned in those classes. Wikipedia tells me that Suassure is the founder of semiotics and I recall having read him, or of him, back in the day, though I remember nothing of what he actually wrote, so who knows? Anyway, my poor retention skills didn’t leave the linguistic cupboard entirely bare. When I read Eco’s definition, I was aware that a “sign” is, linguistically speaking, something that stands for something else–word, image, anyting. So gain, yes, I study it all the time.

    Regarding Klee, were we to meet, I’m sure you’d be disappointed in my vast ignorance. I was remotely familiar with his work from long gone days of writing art history papers for pay (B+ or your money back) and kicking around modern art museums, but it had been many years since I gave him any thought. As with linguistics, I’ve forgotten just about everything I ever did know about Klee. What surprised me when I googled his paintings was that he was obviously illustrating certain aspects of color theory, something I was not equipped to recognize way back when. But I am equipped to recognize it now and find that aspect of Imants’ work interesting. A color, or two colors placed against each other, or even an entire palette can be as much a sign as anything else. I don’t know whether Imants was consciously aware of the color theory subtext in the work, but with his background I wouldn’t be at all surprised.

    Imants, along those lines, as you noted, you lost exclusive rights to assign meaning and value to your work once you sold it into the public domain (Ha ha). And I respect that you are able to call something finished and move on. Still I think it’s unfortunate in this case. Let’s look again at the text:

    “The dog Painter sees things upside down and in color
    Painter decides to reclaim what is rightfully his
    Though once the pages go yellow the person is so dead
    A self Rouault portrait
    who dares not wear a mask?

    “real art”
    forgery, homage, mummery, travesty shan-zhai
    no photo no photo no photo no photo [repeated]
    eventually he became as one with The Bone Collector

    Paul Klee’s work ah love it as an idea
    fake fake fake made up! but we luv da fake

    how long should I spend looking at a single photograph
    should I read the caption before looking at an artwork”

    Cut everything after “The Bone Collector” and it would, imo, be much, much stronger without losing any meaning. And losing the last two lines, at the very least, has been suggested by others as well. They appear out of place, feel tacked on. But whatever… Your work, your call.

    Gordon, I don’t see work like this as akin to wedding productions even though the basic skeleton (photos, text, backgrounds, music, timeline) are identical. What’s “new” about work like this is the attempt to tell a sophisticated, highly literate story with those tools. Of course “new” can cover a lot of years and we can argue about its definition. Regardless, I think it’s fair to say that this is an immature art not near the point where it’s all been done and all that’s left is to refine techniques that have already been done by the masters — unlike, say, very literal documentary photography, or wedding photography for that matter. The bar is much higher for the more mature arts.

    John, I’m sure that I’ve skipped, been ignorant of, a lot in my assessment. In general, and specifically in regards to this work, I enjoy art that is meaningful but in which the meaning is difficult, if not impossible to discern. If you are aware of similar work that would expand my abilities of assessment, I’d be interested in taking a look. I’ve no doubt whatsoever that such work exists. I would have guessed though, that you would like many of Imants’ photos if considered independently. They are well composed, technically well-processed, have an edge to them, and stand on their own as singles.

    But don’t’ get me wrong, I don’t mean to be a defender of this work and have no problem whatsoever with those who either don’t like this sort of thing or don’t like this particular example of it (though I do enjoy reading more detailed explanations of why not). Seems to me this falls into the category of something about which reasonable people can disagree.

  144. david alan harvey

    MW…

    i have to jump in my truck and drive five hours home…and my arm hurts like hell after a small surgery where the surgeon said “oh this will be a quick in and out”…..but i want to get into this discussion…saw Paul Klee mentioned and trying to imagine the connection, but it will have to be tomorrow i think when i respond…but if i never come back to this thread i think your last sentence pretty much sums it all up for me….

    “Seems to me this falls into the category of something about which reasonable people can disagree.”

  145. david alan harvey

    GORDON…

    i chat with Imants from time to time on skype…as face to face as one can get on the net…i would love to do the same with you…but my conversations with Imants from his home in Sydney could best be described as “cheerful”…i think Imants is more playful than antagonistic…at least by intention…..hey we are all a bit idiosyncratic here are we not? let’s just enjoy it ….i have had the pleasure of hosting in my new york apartment i would say perhaps 50-100 folks who hang out here on Burn at one time…yes, a party which follows a slide show by a Bruce Davidson, an Alessandra Sanguinetti, or an Elliott Erwitt…good shows of work by icons and by students followed by just having a beer with friends like Bob B, Erica, Panos, Andrew S, Anton, Patricia, John G, Preston, Chris B., Audrey, Tom H, Eric E,Michael W, and many many more….all of them good people and in a special “live” environment…oh yes,we have definitely taken the blog to real life here on Burn …all fun, all good people with interesting things to say and doing great things…how it all shows up here in print on Burn is sometimes up for grabs but 99% of the misunderstandings would never have even been misunderstandings in person…..then there is just flat out disagreement on a set of work which is normal, healthy, and just fine….in person however the disagreement would have happened with a smile instead of a frown….again , we are lucky to be able to enjoy free discourse on a topic near and dear to all our hearts…we should never forget this fortunate position everyone here is in…

    peace, david

  146. mw

    Oh, and John, regarding work that might my abilities of assessment, or more importantly, abilities in general, thanks for the clue about Robert Frank’s films. I’ve been watching “Pull My Daisy” and can feel expansion happening in real time. I look forward to seeing much more of his work. And Bob (and Michelle), likewise with 2666. Don’t know what I think of hit yet, but I think about it a lot.

  147. john gladdy

    MICHAEL WEBSTER. the period I was refering to was simply the ‘period’ you left out of the first line of imants text. ‘Eats shoots and leaves?
    Put it back in and its a simple statement. Albeit one that is mainly incorrect and based on flawed assumptions. Now the beauty of this kind of work is that the artist is free(if they so wish) to ‘imply’ that this ‘error’ is just another inbuilt cypher, and its pretty difficult to prove otherwise. Heads I win, tails you lose.

    Glad you are exploring franks later film work..many didnt.
    Did you ever manage to track down the MIKHAIL KALATOZOV film I told you about ‘SOY CUBA’ ?

  148. Mike R

    DAH “we are lucky to be able to enjoy free discourse on a topic near and dear to all our hearts…we should never forget this fortunate position everyone here is in…” – amen to that. Not too long ago i.e. pre-internet, the majority were in a photographic wilderness with only photography magazines to inform them of events.

  149. bob black

    MW/JOHN:

    KALATOZOV’S ‘I am cuba’ is magnificent….culmination of a brilliantly intelligent/thoughtful filmmaker operating under terrible pressure…Cranes are Flying and Letter Unset, while not as brilliant/boundary-pushing as Soya cuba, are still glorious and beautiful Soviet films….

    as for Frank….all franks’ films are worth…and like John, I LOVE his later films…though, they go hand in hand with his later photographic work….funny, i ‘discovered’ Americans after buying his Hassleblad Award book in ’96…and Stories lines (from his Tate exhibition) is one of my favorite fotobooks period….

    GORDON:

    a note about Imants…i’ve known Imants for more than 3 years now….we’ve exhibited together (here in toronto), i’ve shown his work in the projection series I used to create/curate here, and we’ve talked pretty extensively via emails over that time…in all that time I’ve only had 1 fight with him (pretty good for a friendship), and that came up under Aaron’s essay and ONLY because i was/am feeling more ‘vulnerable’/emotional post Russia trip….i take the responsibility for getting upset…Imants is a very intelligent AND sensitive, heart-felt caring person…and he does like to push folks buttons on the internet (we all do, in our own way), but trust me, he is not as ‘arrogant’ as many folks thing here….he’s just a thoughtful, man who makes thoughtful work ….the web, obviously, de-personalizes…shit, i mean, i’ve literally screamed at the computer screen myself ;)), but in real life it is totally different….and most important, i think it is important to separate the ‘work’ from the ‘person’…even if Imants was an obnoxious brat (which he is not), the work is the work….i know work produced that is gorgeous, aware, sensitive and i couldn’t stand talking to that person for 2 minutes…so, i think it is important we separate ‘real’ from ‘work’…and just see work for what it is…whether we like it or not….if we see things with a grin, it makes things easier :)))

    i mean, i’ve had fights with David (and i often feel embarrassed when i think about them now) and he is as hard a person to fight with in real life as one can imagine…he’s pretty much what you see here, talkative, fun-loving, caring, open and thoughtful…and gives it his all, in work, for his students and with his friends….so, we just have to separate ourselves 1 degree from our personal thoughts/reactions related to the web, and remember, that these are real people who actually are good folk, just like each of us :)))

    ok, gotta run, will comment on the new essay later :))

    hugs
    bob

  150. bob black

    i meant it is ‘hard’ to fight with David in real life because he is such a good/nice/fun person…and that smile, kills more than just the ladies ;))))))…ask my wife :))

  151. panos skoulidas

    Gordon i agree with David on this one…
    Skyping with Imants is pure fun….
    and i also admire u for having the strength to be honest about everything (even your little wine love affair;)
    and i will admit that i was the very first one “attacking” or misunderstanding Imants here in his first essay.. of course later i did my homework and all i found is a great artist…
    big hug & respect

  152. Gordon Lafleur

    David, Bob, Panos, Imants

    Thanks for your insights. I have learned something about myself here, and am feeling humbled.

    All, I’d love to skype with each of you sometime. I just have to figure out this skype business. Despite spending much of my life presently in front of a computer screen, I’m still a major techno-phob. Skype, computer games, i-phones, on-line banking….uggg,..shudder, hate it all.

    Peace.

  153. david alan harvey

    GORDON…

    i hate all that stuff too, but seriously the skype bit is the easiest of all..takes 5 minutes to set up an account…it is free….it is easy…my 91 year old mother got a handle on it in no time and we can have our morning coffee together…do it Gordon…and give me a call…after you talk to Imants of course!!

    cheers, david

  155. Imants

    Hi to All
    I suppose I better reply …………..
    Unlike other activities I started this as a slide show for burn as an internet based piece of work, along the way it turned into a potential book. The book part took over and it went it’s own direction and after a couple of months it was completed.
    The slide show was always there I chipped away bit by bit images came in, went out, were altered reorganised etc but the theme stayed the same ………….. The nature of internet sites like burn etc

    It starts with comment, about a way of seeing things and in a way that probably doesn’t exist. “sees things upside down and in colour” This was about how people are forever looking for something, getting a new hold of things and the thing that is written so often often ………… “this is not new I have seen it all before” etc. It also reflect the I see things my way so therefore I am correct part of the wwwdot world……..

    Then it moves into the other prevalent thing that happens on internet when we run out of ideas, “Painter decides to reclaim…”… I am going to go back to what I used to do so I can find myself ……… thus all the new is gone.

    Images run in and out, wearing various masks, post modernist ploys, anonymous beings as posters on the net etc ….. life just goes on

    In the end is it annoying? Sure is, Is it resolved? No way, never meant to be With the text at the end, one goes on and on for far too long the other just a splatter disappearing before it can be read ……….. sound familiar to ways that we have to communicate at times?

    Did it ever occur to me that it may piss people off ……… of course ………. Otherwise there was no use posting it is about the wwdot world after all

    On another level it is about a Kids vs. Adult vs. Imants world but you will have to search for that in the images. But here is a no text no sound version probably about two and a half minutes. http://www.etrouko.com/201101.htm This was done ages ago as a compliment to the book, never completed no need now as the book got deleted………..some added into book 5 as I stated before thus completing the series

    I prefer the one on burn as posted

    As for the other part about me well it is the wwdot world ……. David, Bob Panos yea I probably don’t deserve your support on that matter but thanks it is appreciated

    Thanks to all that viewed the work …………

  161. denislav

    “Error: Slideshow data not found. Check XML File Path and Type.”

    and this is shown not only on this essay… :(

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