S.R. Wild: Artist and Graphic Designer

The Death of Instant Photographic Gratification

Last week, Polaroid announced they are going to stop making instant film once they manufacture enough to last through 2009. I better stock up for my Visitor Polaroid Project.

I read about it this morning in an article in Seven Days about a Vermont photographer’s book and exhibit on photobooths. I’ve written about my love for photobooths on this blog before, so I was excited to read this article. I’d like to get a copy of the book, American Photobooth and I’m definitely going to check out the exhibit at the Pine Street Art Works this weekend.

Update

I purchased a copy of American Photobooth this evening. Only one copy was left and it was softcover — S.R. Wild wins! Yes, I would’ve preferred to buy from an independent bookstore, but I had a coupon and I’m poor these days.

I haven’t looked at it yet. I’m looking forward to cracking it open before I go to sleep tonight. Hopefully I won’t fall asleep in my studio at 4 o’clock in the morning like last Friday. I’m also looking forward to seeing the exhibit at Pine Street Art Works tomorrow. If anyone is interested in joining me, don’t hesitate to contact me. Of course, anyone reading this is too far away.

Feelin' Better

I’ll feel much better than this morning. Still not quite right, liquid bread is helping. I pretty much slept all day. I would have slept more, but some cranky guy from the unemployment office called me to verify that I was looking for work.

I finally received the other half of last weeks photobooth shots. We planned on taking a lot more, but we barely had enough for one. This photobooth is right by the door at the metro station. There isn’t a curtain, so hundreds of commuters were watching us make fools of ourselves.

Body Worlds 2

It’s official. We’re going to see Body Worlds 2 in Montréal next week. I’m so excited that I’m going to use two exclamation points!! And I might actually be smiling. I plan on staying there all day gawking and capturing the bodies with pencil and camera. I will definitely submit a full report when I return. Everyone should… nay, everyone must see this exhibit. It’s showing May 10–September 16 at the Montréal Science Centre.

Finally, I get to see the real thing. I tried to see it in Boston over the winter, but plans fell apart. Two years ago, I saw a knockoff exhibit in San Francisco called The Universe Within (the name sounds like a new age journey of self-discovery or the place you go after scoring an illegal substance in a park). I didn’t realize it wasn’t sanctioned by Dr. von Hagens—that would explain why the exhibit was leaking.

Regardless, I was… was… speechless and still am. When we walked into the exhibit we all stopped talking and our mouths dropped. The displays were amazing: intact circulatory system, intact nervous system, the brain of a stroke victim that looked like it had a scab on it, the full bodies in various positions, and so much more that I can’t put into words. We didn’t speak to each other the entire time. When we finally left, three hours later, we went across the street to Grace Cathedral for some reason.

Speaking of bodies, I just got word that Dita von Tesse (a.k.a. the girl of my dreams, who’s single now and should call me) is coming out of retirement to perform at the Museum of Sex (MoSex, ha) in NYC on May 16th. Damn, it sucks that I have all this time but no money.

I don’t know if I’ll post a journal page tonight. Maybe later or tomorrow. I think I’ve been posting way too much on here lately. I’ll give everyone a chance to catch up.

I Love Photobooths

I take a shortcut through the local mall to save time or to warm up a bit on my frequent wanderings. The downside is it reeks of perfume, annoying Muzak plays, and it’s a mall! I loath malls; I find them depressing. Walking through there awhile ago, I found a photobooth tucked under the escalator. I’ve walked by it numerous times since. Last night, some friends and I passed it and I finally used it.

I wasn’t impressed with the quality of the photos. Sure, they’re printed on photo paper, but the photos were taken with a lo-res digital camera so they have a lot of noise. Like most things around here, you take what you can get. Regardless, it was the most fun I had all day and may possibly be the highlight of my week.

Photobooths, like good conversations, are hard to come by these days. Whenever I see one and I’m with someone I try to use it. I never do it alone because, like sex, it’s more fun with at least one other person. Finding a booth is a challenge; finding someone willing to join me is another challenge. Most people seem to be afraid of going into an intimate little booth with someone else. Of course, it could just be me. Wait, am I still talking about photobooths?

I remember hearing that photobooths were making a comeback. I hope they do. There’s a website (of course) dedicated to them: Photobooth.net. There’s a locator on the site that lists photobooth locations around the world (mostly in the US). They even rent vintage photobooths.

Let’s not forget about Amélie. Every time I see a photobooth I think of Nino on his hands and knees looking for discarded photos—I’ve never found any. I can sort of identify with Nino and his obsessive interests. I also identify with Amélie quite a bit, but that requires its own post. These are just two of the many reasons why I love that movie.

srwild.com v14.0 :: © MM–MMVIII S.R. Wild