Entitled (I) (Dining room, left-hand bookshelves, fourth shelf down), 2013
Entitled is the B Side to The Fall’s 1986 single, Hey! Luciani. It’s an uncharacteristically pretty song, full of good humour and it has a nice bounce to it.
Anyway, I thought it was about time I explained the how and the why of my titling system…But when I sat down to write about it I was overwhelmed by a sense of deep and profound boredom. An ennui that was so pervasive I felt it in my very marrow. I couldn’t go on.
And then I got to thinking about The Future Is Papier Mâché in general and the way I post.
Entitled (II), 2012
For a while now I’ve been posting intros to the books and CDs on our bookshelves and when I asked myself why, there seemed to be no good answer*, so that form of post will no longer appear (freeing me to take titles from anywhere and everywhere, and write about other stuff).
Entitled (III) (for (and after works by) Laura Barbuto), 2013
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* except that it was a very long-winded way of explaining the sources of my titles.
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Thanks to the usual suspects (John, Deanne and Terry (who no longer uses words in the titles of his works), for title shenanigans and Richard at CK Ponderings for being a super-cool collaborator. Our latest collaboration will appear tomorrow on Richard’s blog.
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Bye Bye Bookshelves, 2013
I’ll go on…
Great! Let your creativity take you where you wanna go! Can’t wait to see the results!
Thank you so much, Chris! I feel like I’ve just let myself off the leash. 🙂
🙂 Go for it!
I’m happy for you that you’ve unloaded a burden that no longer works for you. Titles and names can be a sort of poetry in themselves. Giving a name to a picture can direct the viewer to something you have to say about that picture… if you have something to say. I remember learning once, that giving a name is a bit like prophesy; hooking up to a context that is wider and greater than what it is your naming. In any case, it’s worth thinking about it. Best wishes on your continued experimentation, and on your photography.
Thank you so much, Shimon. What you say rings very true. Freeing myself from the bookshelves format will force me to take more care with titles. The process was becoming a little pat. Thank you for your kind words.
Bye bye bookshelves. Hello freedom and imagination? Again fun images. Naturally I love the Laura Barbuto tribute – her work is amazing!!!!!
And I also busted out laughing when I saw what you wrote after my name. Thanks. 🙂 Hope you have a great weekend my friend. Looking forward to tomorrows collaborative surprise. 😉
Ha, yes, I want to be “looser” about the way I approach posting. I’ve got this word “conjunctions” buzzing round my head, so I’m going to see where that leads me. Thanks, Terry. Yes, Laura’s work is breathtaking – I hope she likes the shot/ joke.
Thanks – hope you’re having a good one. 🙂
NO work without a title. Ohne titel is a cop-out!
Yes, yes. I know I might be moderated…
Hey, Dave! Great to hear from you. Agreed! I won’t be going back there, but the form of my posts had to change – it had become a routine, and I have enough of those in my life.
Aww. Sad to see it go. But totally get it. Freeing yourself to blog about whatever you feel. Look forward to new posts.
Thanks, Deanne. I think I should have quietly dropped it as a form last year, but hey ho. I’m preparing to give in to my more pretentious tendencies :O
I dunno’, I kind of like knowing where the books are in your bookshelves. I’m reading “Riddley Walker” now. I found it in the dining room, left-hand bookshelf, second shelf down.
Thanks very much, George. Yes, that was the fun part. But the last couple of posts have seemed a bit like a chore, so a clean slate for Feb. No idea what I’m going to do, which is fun.
Quite a few people seem to be making changes in the way they blog recently… I guess it’s the way they develop their work with an aim to keep moving forward. Your book/CD annotations give an insight into your images, but I can completely understand how limiting they can be. Here’s to the continued evolution of TFIPM! 🙂
Yes, I think it’s only natural to want to change things around now and again. Like rearranging the furniture 🙂 Thank you, Richard! 🙂
I’m tuned in and ready for whatever you choose to post. I know it will be interesting!
Thanks so much, Elena! Very kind words!
I had a hard time getting rid of my old books- kept a few- who needs 100 cook books? I am free now! Also I tried to sell them and no one was buying them…
Organic blogging! Looking forward to the future. All the best.
Thank you, David! Yes, something’s brewing – I’ve got some images and a vague idea, so maybe in the next few days.
I’m still working through the list of books I acquired from you postings… the old way was great, and so will the new be. It’s good to be guided by a theme or concept but not constricted… I enjoy the post titles the muses/voices in my head come up with. Sometimes it’s the most entertaining part of the process 🙂
Thanks very much, EllaDee! Yes, I agree – a good title can set the whole thing off. I think I’m going to use that feeling as the basis of the next batch of posts.
Titles are tricky I think… sometimes they come easily to me and other times feel forced and I abandon them. It all depends on what story you want to tell, I suppose; whether you want to direct the viewer or leave things open to interpretation. I hope your decision allows your creativity to take itself in exciting new directions. Sometimes restricting yourself is a good thing, but you have to know when it’s time to free yourself from the shackles as well. I sense you have lots more you want to explore in this blog looking forward to seeing where you take it!
Yes, indeed. There are a few ideas rattling around at the moment, which I’m hoping will coalesce into a new approach – I’ve got the images and the feeling, I’m just missing the text 🙂
Sounds good, Richard, shaking up habits and practices, maybe a little restlessness. I’m eager to see where you go with this.
Thanks, Chris. Yes, there’s not much you can do if the feel of something is no longer right. Me too:)
The present is Papier Mâché…
: )
Ha! Yes, although today I may have had an idea! All I’ve got to do is write it now…
Why restrict yourself! Though sometimes it can nice to have a theme or an idea to push you to do something a little different, which is something I might try in the future. At the moment I photographing evil gnomes.
Ha, ha, that sounds brilliant! Looking forward to seeing those shots. Yes, I’m struggling a little to put a post together at the moment 🙂
I actually liked the book/music references but can’t wait to see what you come up with next!
Thanks very much! I liked it too, but it was becoming a bit of a routine. New year, new conundrum – how to proceed… 🙂
Interesting post Richard, seems I am not the only one changing how I post.
Yes, it’s good to shake things up a bit, I think. Like your new blog.