The first picture is of a group of girls, one with curlers in her hair, who are at a carnival or fair of some sort. The only visible cigarette is in the blond girl with the curlers’ hands and she is also the only one making eye contact with the camera. I’m assuming that the three of them are all smoking together, since that’s usually what smokers do - it is largely a social event for many people. These girls seem to be about 17 but most likely wish to be much older and believe smoking cigarettes is a way to seem more mature. It’s interesting how none of them are making eye contact, except the one girl whose cigarette is visible. I think these photos really make the viewer think and instill different emotions amongst different people, depending on their feelings about smoking. I do like how the photos are placed in between works of prose and poetry and think that it would be fun if we could do that with Popped.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Canteen - Julie Kelly
The 3rd Issue of Canteen is available in digital form on their website and is essentially the same as viewing a catalog online. One section that I really enjoyed looking at were the photographs by Martijn Van De Griendt titled "Returning Thing." It is a series of pictures that depict different people smoking cigarettes in various places. Some of them are looking at the camera while others are. It is cool how the series of photographs are essentially in the middle of the journal, or at least in between works of prose and poetry.
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2 comments:
Julie,
These pictures sound really captivating. Personally I'm very against smoking and I wonder how people can continue to justify it. I'd be curious to examine these pictures and see if they seem to support smoking or advertise it as a fun social event, for as you say it is often considered that. Do you think the fact that the girls in the picture you talked about don't seem to be making eye contact, and I take it aren't interacting with each other, means the artist is trying to de-glamorize smoking?
-Averill
I am going to second Averill's question, actually. When I was reading your post, I was wondering about the authors perspective on the girls - whether or not he viewed them in a positive or negative light and from that, his perspective on smoking. Obviously, making some of the subjects visible with their cigarettes while the others more discreet says something. I would be curious to see as to how these pictures could help (or not) a smoking campaign or something along those lines.
- Jennifer A.
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