Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Silver, Carbon, and Brass: Press Release

For Immediate Release

Silver, Carbon and Brass: The Steampunk Photography of RA Friedman

Ven and Vaida Art and Jewelry, 18. S. 3rd St. Phila., PA  19106

Opening: Friday, Sept. 7, 6-10 pm Artist’s Talk: Tuesday, Sept 11, 7-10 pm

Sign up for the shoot at The Rotunda is both of the above days.

Steampunk: 1.Victorian science fiction, a speculative world where the Steam Age coexists with the future. 2. Art, craft, costume and form that arise out of this idea, often incorporating DIY technology, mechanical contrivances, and the turning of design structure inside-out. 3. An individual involved with Steampunk culture.

In a show of 29 prints, RA Friedman, working in a Steampunk vein, captures a collection of time-travelers, nudes, nocturnal denizens and the as-yet-to-be-labeled. "Silver, Carbon and Brass" consists of two bodies of work. The first is from various retro and Steampunk events with his Tsirkus Fotografika, a mobile photo booth project started in '08. The other is studio nudes, often complex, multi-figure pieces done with a camera having only a small hole for a lens.
     
Shooting instant film w/a vintage camera, Friedman saves the paper negatives then lets them age and dry out. They are then scanned in order to initiate the painstaking work of digitally restoring the image. Though all photos are formal arrangements, mummery gives way much like in early 20th century German Expressionist Art. At the crossroads of photography, painting and printmaking, the viewer’s conceptions of a camera-made image are challenged. As an odd light emerges from deep velvety tones, forms appear and dissolve and time and space are transported to a rich dreamlike realm.
     
Those attending the opening night reception or the artist’s talk will have a chance to become part of the show. "The Big Nude Pinhole Shoot at The Rotunda" is scheduled for the evening of Mon. Sept. 17th as part of Philadelphia Fringe. Sign up is through Ven & Vaida only. Participants will pay a $20 fee and help create a clothes-free tableau which Friedman will photograph. Each person will receive a signed and limited edition archival print, upon its completion, via US Mail.

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