Alex Waterhouse-Hayward

A Vision Impure Asymmetry

Saturday, March 31, 2018

An amateur or very young photographer might (I did) go to Mexico and photograph a Mexican native in a market next to a tidy pyramid of oranges. The photographer will then marvel at the Mexican talent for orderly symmetry.

I believe that asymmetry is the next step up in a culture’s (or person’s) approach to art.

There is no reason (tradition) why cars, as an example are almost completely symmetrical. Many years ago an American Motors car had a passenger door that was bigger than the driver’s.

I was struck of this largely primitive (my word) approach to art when on February 14, at a Sunday dance series at the Granville Island Dance Company at Performance Works I watched a choreographed work-in-progress by Noam Gagnon's Vision Impure that was not remotely symmetrical. To me this was refreshing.

I was sitting on stage right and close. Male dancer Lucas Bilbo (tall and burly) was a mere yards from me. I never really noticed that there were 6 women dancing as I could not but look at Bilbo. On the other side it was male Desi Rekrut (another wonder of the Granville Island Dance Company’s graduate program).I noticed the other dancers when they would swirl their long hair.

Gagnon somehow found 6 female dancers (all with long hair):

Ariana Barr, Eowyn Enquist, Brynne Harper, Lauren Bronsson, Terra Kell and Emma Cohen.

From my point of view and sight the work was a wonderful piece of dance (in progress, really?) in which the long hair was part of the choreography much like in one of James Kudelka’s 15 Heterosexual Duets.

It is my amateur opinion that Gagnon placed the big presence of Bilbo (wearing perhaps and extra-extra large white T-shirt) on purpose.

I had a phone chat with Max Wyman who told me that symmetry in dance has changed for some time. What that means is that I had not noticed until now.

And there is more intriguing stuff to find out. From April 17 to the 29^th at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre’s intimate Van City Cultural Lab there will be a two-person show called The Explanation ( written and directed by James Fagan Tait) featuring actors Kevin MacDonald and Evan Frayne that is choreographed (huh!?) by Noam Gagnon.

The Explanation at the Cultch

Link to: A Vision Impure Asymmetry

Car Show Detailed

Friday, March 30, 2018

Perhaps in having been a magazine photographer for so many years taught me that there was always a way of doing something in a different way. During the Mecca of magazines and newspapers in Vancouver in the 80s and 90s, publications did everything possible to be different. They hired good writers and searched for illustrators and photographers that would produce unique work.

Magazine and newspaper art/design directors were on the lookout for such work. They poured over many trade publications in which photographers and illustrators paraded their work. Good art directors (and I worked with the best) were always stressing that there had to be a way that would put a new twist, a refreshing angle, to the mundane.

Yesterday I went to the Vancouver Auto Show. I knew I would see many of the most expensive cars and far out racing machines. How was I going to photograph them?

I decided on using both my iPhone3G and my Fuji X-E3. For the latter I used a special adaptor on which I could mount my old-style Nikon 50mm f1.4 lens. The idea was to use the lens wide open so that the depth of field would be shallow. There were quite a few in which my focusing was not quite right. But there were enough that I liked. I stress mostly headlights and taillights.

iPhone3G

Link to: Car Show Detailed