Paul Shambroom's Virtual Town Meeting

Wrapping up ...

2004-10-20T17:09:00.000-07:00

We're about to disperse for the evening to the Merc Bar.

From the audience:

East Berliners never felt that the glasnost of Mikhail Gorbachev would ever reach them. Their leader formed an alliance with Ceaucescu of Romania. They even sent magazines back to the Soviet Union to better control the message.

How could these communities be brought into the world?

2004-10-20T17:06:00.000-07:00

Paul feels that the Internet contains examples of how like-minded people get together regardless of the medium.

Dread Scott ...

2004-10-20T17:05:00.000-07:00

What exactly are the ways to take this work forward, not just from the business perspective?

Challenge ...

2004-10-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

Would photobloggers be interested in teaching their ways to people IN Paul's works?

Books ...

2004-10-20T16:59:00.000-07:00

Once they've been published, they don't change. The web, according to Rion, allows for constant evolution.

Mike's background ...

2004-10-20T16:53:00.000-07:00

Mike only recently started putting pictures on the web. He took just a few photographs back in junior high school.

Digital manipulation ...

2004-10-20T16:52:00.000-07:00

Paul isn't a photojournalist. He nods to the rules, but he generally doesn't change them.

The cult of the print ...

2004-10-20T16:51:00.000-07:00

Paul feels that the print itself is a piece of art.

Paul responds to Susan's comment about gatekeeping ...

2004-10-20T16:49:00.000-07:00

Anyone can put up a photoblogging site. You're going to get viewers if you put up good work. Currently, it's a meritocracy, but this could change.

Paul's financial model ...

2004-10-20T16:48:00.000-07:00

Paul was originally denied grants. After he got a few, he found the system to be very fair.

He makes his living by selling prints. He's received grants and he has worked as a commercial photographer.

Eliot speaks about crossing over ...

2004-10-20T16:46:00.000-07:00

Eliot feels the Internet allows for a revaluing of media.

Rion discusses the economics ...

2004-10-20T16:45:00.000-07:00

Some photobloggers do sell their work.

A dialogue ...

2004-10-20T16:43:00.000-07:00

jake and the photographers are discussing the printing of photos and how they'd LOVE a gallery show.

Susan adds ...

2004-10-20T16:42:00.000-07:00

Would Jake really like to be in Julie's gallery?

Greta's comments ...

2004-10-20T16:40:00.000-07:00

Blogging spreads the power around. Who holds the keys to gate? With blogging and the web, the power is spread around.

Paul's art ...

2004-10-20T16:37:00.000-07:00

There aren't a lot of gestures due to technical considerations. As a result, the photographs have a grim quality to them.

Future developments ...

2004-10-20T16:36:00.000-07:00

Jake hopes that one day there won't be the need for curators, no one will be selected and presented.

Photoblogging ...

2004-10-20T16:35:00.000-07:00

Photoblogging is a small and active community.

Jake said that they've come together in ways that are sort of unexpected.

Susan Meiselas ...

2004-10-20T16:33:00.000-07:00

Susan feels that the power of this medium is the ability to break through the gatekeepers, the newspapers, the conglomerates ... Photographers have counterpower with this medium.

Audience statements ...

2004-10-20T16:28:00.000-07:00

Does the photoblogging have an impact? Once in a while according to Jake.

Dread Scott ...

2004-10-20T16:27:00.000-07:00

Dread's work ...

He tries to take on big questions of the day.

Susan's site ...

2004-10-20T16:25:00.000-07:00

Her site creates an opportunity to share experiences and comment. Some of them she has to eliminate because they are hateful and she doesn't want to support this.

Sean Elwood, moderator ...

Susan's building up an alternate memory, a political tool to protect.

Susan ...

The issues matter, maybe not to the audience, but the photography resonates with different communities.

Susan's work ...

2004-10-20T16:23:00.000-07:00

Susan's site aka Kurdistan grew out of this work.

Questions for the audience ...

2004-10-20T16:19:00.000-07:00

Susan Meiselas ...

Susan documented what happened in Nicaragua. Did it change the policy? No. Was it well documented? Yes. Was it true? The photograph itself can't stand in for the will of the people.

Political?

2004-10-20T16:18:00.000-07:00

Mike didn't feel like he was being political until people started cracking down on his right to take photographs.

In jall during the RNC ...

2004-10-20T16:17:00.000-07:00

Mike felt it was strange to be without his camera after he'd been arrested during a critical mass protest.

Mailbox photo ...

2004-10-20T16:14:00.000-07:00

Mike took a photograph of a mailbox for syringes and was asked by a copy why he was doing it. He said he could take photos of anything that he'd like. She asked why he would do it again and he said it wasn't really a mailbox and added that it was weird.

Mike's talk ...

2004-10-20T16:13:00.000-07:00

Mike normally covers urban decay and street art. Some of his work is politically intentional and some of it isn't.

Community ...

2004-10-20T16:10:00.000-07:00

There was a huge sense of community in New York during the RNC. She finds herself to have a pure enjoyment of people and how they interact with each other.

What she saw ...

2004-10-20T16:08:00.000-07:00

Rion feels that the web is a communication tool that she and others can use to show how more ordinary people really feel rather than the filtered view of international media.

RNC photos by Rion ...

2004-10-20T16:06:00.001-07:00

Rion felt that she had a duty to cover the events that were happening. She felt that her site was her own publication and that she needed to get out the word on what was happening.

She felt that the photobloggers attending the RNC were less encumbered by equipment than their peers in the news media.

RNC photos by Rion ...

2004-10-20T16:06:00.000-07:00

Rion's introduction ...

2004-10-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

Rion, a graphic designer, is very interested in the power of the image. She builds a narrative through the images on her site, Rion.nu.

Eliot's closing remarks ...

2004-10-20T16:03:00.000-07:00

Eliot feels he's not afraid to be clever. He tries not to remove himself like Jake and Paul. All photographs have some sort of bias in them, from composition to lighting.

Inside the RNC ...

2004-10-20T16:01:00.000-07:00

Inside the RNC, Eliot found all of the advertising covered. The RNC removed all of the advertising and replaced it with RNC-friendly messages.

Eliot's photos ...

2004-10-20T16:00:00.000-07:00

Eliot has photographed gatherings ranging from Falun Gong members to demonstrators on the street.

Eliot's up ...

2004-10-20T15:57:00.001-07:00

Eliot's photos begin with a showing of photos he took while he was in the United Kingdom. In London, he encountered a gathering of anti-Bush and anti-Blair protestors.

Eliot's up ...

2004-10-20T15:57:00.000-07:00

Eliot's photos begin with a showing of photos he took while he was in the United Kingdom. In London, he encountered a gathering of anti-Bush and anti-Blair protestors.

Protest shots ...

2004-10-20T15:55:00.000-07:00

Jake often found himself in the midst of these protests. In some cases, he was there right through the bitter end when the police hauled off the protestors.

He feels that there is a message almost in every photo, from the police outside of the library to a night scene in Prospect Park. Even the buildings convey a message, one of preservation.

Jake's photos ...

2004-10-20T15:50:00.001-07:00

Jake's subjects sometimes found his photos of them online. Some of the participants in the unemployment line found his photos and they actually posted about how they weren't "designers". Their clothes were not costly.

At the Garden of Eve gathering, he was bodychecked by a The New York Times. He actually covered this on his site more times than it was covered in the mainstream media.

Jake's photos ...

2004-10-20T15:50:00.000-07:00

Jake is up next ...

2004-10-20T15:48:00.000-07:00

Jake is demonstrating his site at Bluejake. He's talked about his site to give some context. Normally, he deals with buildings and street art.

To spice up his content, he likes to delve into other areas and the Republican National Convention provided the perfect opportunity.

Influence ...

2004-10-20T15:46:00.000-07:00

Paul worked in a very standardized manner. He wasn't out to demonstrate his cleverness as a photographer. He didn't make compositional decisions. He approached it from the perspective of a person in a theather, everything is there and the viewer can make their own decisions on how these people presented themselves.

What he found in small towns ...

2004-10-20T15:44:00.000-07:00

Often, Paul was the only person in these meetings. He would be there with his camera on a tripod and sometimes, just a few people in attendance.

Paul's work ...

2004-10-20T15:41:00.000-07:00

Paul found that the elected officials in the small towns that he visited were warm and welcoming. Some of them thought that he was a bit crazy to drive 200 miles to visit them, but he did and his work, which you can find on his website, gives you examples of the meetings as well as the minutes of the meeting.

The meetings he attended touched on points like the hiring of policeman and the number of stop signs. He even got called on in many instances to discuss his work.

Paul's project ...

2004-10-20T15:39:00.000-07:00

Paul's project grew out of his interest in power and democracy, democracy with a small "c".

We're here tonight to discuss the how artists and photographers explain these concepts through their work.

Where to see the exhibition in New York.

2004-10-20T15:36:00.000-07:00

If you're in New York, you can see the photographs at the Julie Saul Gallery. You can find the address on Paul Shambroom's website.

The meeting is called to order

2004-10-20T15:34:00.001-07:00

Sean Elwood is making his opening remarks. We have a great line-up tonight and look forward to an interesting discussion on the subject of grassroots American democracy.

The meeting is called to order

2004-10-20T15:34:00.000-07:00

Sean Elwood is making his opening remarks. We have a great line-up tonight and look forward to an interesting discussion on the subject of grassroots American democracy.

Tonight's Participants

2004-10-20T08:09:00.000-07:00

Tonight's participants in the Virtual Town Meeting will be:

Paul Shambroom, Paul Shambroom Art
Jake Dobkin, Bluejake
Rion Nakaya, Rion.nu
Mike Epstein, Satan's Laundromat
Eliot Shepard, Slower.net

and of course, both the audience and all readers of this blog are invited to ask questions.

Welcome WNYC Listeners

2004-10-12T07:13:00.000-07:00

Please join us at the Apple Store in SoHo, New York City at 103 Prince Street on October 20, 2004 from 6:30 to 8:00 PM for Paul Shambroom's Virtual Town Meeting.

This site has been established to allow for people to participate with their commentary during the Virtual Town Meeting.