Movement + Color Gallery

This is the show!  On April 21, 2018 the deal went down at the Chorus Public House in Stoughton.  200 people attended, we ate tacos, cupcakes, drank beer and raised $5,000 for Domestic Abuse Intervention Services.  And I turned 50.  It was one of the best days of my life.  The descriptions below are as things appeared at the show.  If you haven't already, you can click on 'The Project' and 'Movement Blog' links close by to see all the background.  I hope you enjoy the work.

The Original

On November 25, 2012, I was shooting a rehearsal for the ‘Christmas Carol Ballet’ in Stoughton. I didn’t change my camera settings that were left over from a previous scene, and this blurry shot was the result.

Back at home when editing the pictures from the show, this ‘mistake’ caught my eye. I thought it was pretty. I saved the shot off to the side, and it got into my head. I thought about it – a lot. Dancers. Time. Motion.

Most often photographers try to capture a dancer for one crisp moment. But dancers don’t live in any one moment, they speak over time and through space. Since 2012, I have been playing with how I can take what a dancer says with their movement and add my own technique to say something that neither of us could say on our own. Six years later, the process of combining two simultaneous expressions into one work hasn’t lost any of its attraction to me.

Never doubt the ‘happy accident’.

Dancers: Unknown, Stoughton Center for the Performing Arts

MK Paints a Wall

My project was well under way when this photo was created. I had a vision of settings, colors and movement. Unfortunately, after several months I was failing at creating pictures that matched what was in my head. Technical stuff. I had tried multiple in-camera techniques (‘light painting’ variations, several flash/strobe approaches, some very long exposures) – all cool stuff, but nothing matched what was in my head.

I decided to take a jump and learn some Photoshop techniques incorporating one steady background and multiple long exposure shots, all stitched together into one image. This was my first attempt at the technique.

This shoot was behind the historic ‘Community Gym’ at Stoughton’s River Bluff Middle School. I set up and asked Mary Kate to do…something. She asked ‘What?’. I said ‘Dance?’ She asked ‘How’? I said ‘Um…I don’t know…paint the wall?’

Boom. Out of my head and on the screen.

Dancer: Mary Kate McNulty

Chazen Lobby

As the project developed, I wanted to shoot artwork as a part of some settings. Being near visual art gives scenes an ‘anchor’ – something still and beautiful that provides context to the moving dancers. It also gives an opportunity to thoughtfully compare and contrast different kinds of art.

I got turned down to shoot pictures in Houston’s Rothko Chapel in Houston as well the Clyfford Still and DIA in Denver. Madison’s Chazen Museum was much more accommodating, however, and their building is a beauty. Go Madison!

This image is a simple motion study set in the building’s newer lobby. A very high ceiling, neutral tones and defined geometry host and support the fluid Modern dance movement. Spiraling, contraction, and release are frequent motions – can you see them?

Dancers: Amanda Graziano, Cassie Last and Kimi Evelyn.

Bench I

The following four images (Bench I, II, III, IV) are additional simple studies in motion – a large, hard geometric wall and an inviting, soft leather bench. Lots of little questions. What do you see? Do the individual or overall movements make you feel something? Which direction is the motion go from and to? Are the dancers trying to say something with their movement?

These are also the first of many images that have facets of Cubism (below). Cubism and Abstract Expressionism have been the two artistic movements that have influenced me the most over the years and have also brought me the most enjoyment. I never directly tried to make a ‘Cubist Photo’, but as the project developed, it became clear to me that viewing and enjoying that genre of art over time worked its way into how I was shooting and editing this project.

Cubism, roughly, breaks a subject into pieces from varying angles and combines them in a unique way, giving different interpretations of the subject than you could get through one ‘normal’ visual view.

Dancers: Amanda Graziano, Cassie Last and Kimi Evelyn.

Bench II

Bench III

Bench IV

Kick

I love abstract expressionism. If you let them in, large fields of color can burrow very deeply inside of you. The initial spark of Movement + Color happened in Houston, inside Mark Rothko’s commissioned Chapel, which consists of very large and mostly black paintings. They become whatever you make of them and are dependent on exactly where you are.

The Chazen has a nice abstract expressionist area. The small blue & red painting on the right is a work by Mark Rothko. The large color field is a fantastic painting named ‘Pistachio’ by Helen Frankenthaler. Amanda danced and made herself an integral part of the room. To me, her kick became a part of the painting behind her. It was all exactly what I wanted out of this project.

Dancer: Amanda Graziano

Woman of Color

Similar to the previous image (Kick) I enjoyed this image as it softly ‘played’ with the paintings in the background and the space between. As I edited, however, the composition balanced more effectively when the large colorful statue on the right-hand side was included. The statue is ‘Reflective Woman II’ by American sculpture artist Viola Frey.

After including the statue in the image, I reflected on it for a while, and ended up worrying. Today’s climate, a dancer of color next to a whimsical colorful statue. Then the potential title ‘Woman of Color’ came to me. It could say something thought provoking. It could be disrespectful.
I ended up having an exchange and running the title of this picture by the dancer. She was good with it. So am I.

Dancer: Kimi Evelyn

Chazen Stairs I

The Chazen stairways are fantastic. They called out for photography and movement. So, two pictures of dancers on stairs.

Chazen Stairs II is in the newer part of the museum. This is a very fluid motion study. Although unintended during editing, pairs of dancers seemed to end up working together. Young, strong women helping each other climb stairs is a solid metaphor.

Chazen Stairs I is in the older part of Chazen. Instead of having different dancers pairing together, they are now on their own as they work up (or down?) the stairs. Another metaphor? Maybe. But definitely a lot of art, light, shadow and geometry.

Dancers: Amanda Graziano, Cassie Last and Kimi Evelyn

Chazen Stairs II

Center Stage

American Players Theater is well known to dramatic arts fans in Wisconsin and beyond. This world-class facility, set inside the Southern-Wisconsin woods, is vibrant and alive during the warm months but closed and silent during the winter. We were extraordinarily lucky to gain access to areas on and around the main stage on a cold February afternoon. A sincere thanks to APT for their gracious hospitality.

This image does as good of a job as any displaying the essence of this project. Movement, color, light, dark. Neutral geometry in the background to establish setting, fluid motion that teases the eye to travel from figure to figure. To me, the dancer’s motion in this image helps to define humanness – working on our lives from inside a body, examining it all from every angle.

Dancer: Lauren John

Face to Face

This image is one of several that have a ‘vertical’ motion theme. In the live show, I posted a printed version of one of Abstract Expressionism’s giants, Clyfford Still, and his 1957 No. 2 PH. 201 (https://anderson.stanford.edu/collection/1957-j-no-1-ph-142-by-clyfford-still/). Lauren, Cassie and I used this painting as a reference during several specific times of shooting, this one included.

The two central figures are the most in-focus of any in the project. No specific story was intended, but vertical movement, two individuals mirroring each another, complimentary but contrasting simple primary/white/black coloring and surrounding motion can all paint a narrative if you want to try some storytelling.

Dancers: Lauren John, Cassie Last

Corners

This image was by far the most complex and time consuming to edit in the project and is perhaps my favorite. At the show, I posted a version of Pablo Picasso’s masterpiece ‘Guernica’. This image is of course not even 1% of Guernica, but after sitting with the picture for a very long time, it feels like they might be very distant cousins.

Lauren reaches, emotes, strives, comes into and out of herself many times, from different angles and directions. Is she trying to escape something? It feels to me like there is some definite human condition stuff here, especially when viewed from the angle of people wrestling with their efforts to be an artist.

Dancer: Lauren John

Portrait I

The spur-of-the-moment direction behind Portrait I and II was “Dance based on how the setting moves you, but also ‘pose’ for the camera like someone is taking your portrait”. These quick shots could have ended up as ‘throw-aways’, but when editing, they spoke to me and captured specific sides of Cassie and Lauren that I got to know during the shoots.

At the show, I posted a small copy of Picasso’s 1942 ‘Picture of woman (Dora Maar)’. Once again, these images pulled me into thinking about Cubism. In the Picasso as well as Portrait I and II, one image shows multiple sides of each subject - physical angles, emotional expressions and other facets, all at once. When we look at someone, can we see different sides of them in the same moment? When a dancer moves, can they say different things in the same moment?

Overall, I thought these were interesting takes on what it means to create a portrait.

Dancers: Lauren John (I), Cassie Last (II)

Portrait II

Vertical

This is another simple motion study. The general direction while shooting this image was to focus on filling vertical space while moving across the staging. Feelings of leaping and flight result, both movements that lead towards the positive. Similar to ‘Face to Face’, some Clyfford Still-esque vertical structure can be seen.

In addition to the motion study, the image has contrast in texture - soft motion, structured background, some crunchy dormant winter plants. Overthinking isn’t needed. I like looking at this image, seeing how my eye moves around the motion.

Dancer: Cassie Last

Dark Places

I think this image is a winner. Very expressive modern movements, definite contrasts of man-made walls and paths vs. dark, dormant nature. The complementary colors also (accidentally) worked our very well - a natural earthy palette throughout.

This is an image where my artist statement might lead you down a path of thinking (consider man’s long-term relationship with and struggle vs. the natural world, blah-blah-blah). Nope. You can do that on your own if you wish.

Dancer: Lauren John

Behind a Tree

This was the first APT image that I edited, and I immediately fell in love with it.

Obviously, it is different from many of the other images – movement is a smaller part of the picture, hidden and secondary in the overall composition. The textured tree, metal railing and wooden siding dominate. The dancer is doing her own thing; strongly, quietly, softly. She’s holding her own hand as she moves on her way.

Dancer: Cassie Last

Backstage

This was the last APT image that I edited, and I immediately fell in love with it.

Obviously different from those including nature, this is the most mechanical and industrial piece in the show. But…stairs! Compared to Chazen and its open marbled staircases, these are all utility. Get your metaphors going – metal stairs behind the scenes, the ones you work up and down every day to get the job done.

Everyone has a ‘Backstage’ – a place where you do the work no one else sees. But even in those settings, you can do it beautifully. And while wearing bright pink.

Dancer: Lauren John

Tradition I

It was driving me a little crazy. 20 images done, but I couldn’t get over feeling like I needed one more. I had been looking for a gritty warehouse, but nothing was making itself available.

So, like other times when I was stuck with this project, I sat. And thought. Then Maggie came to mind. Daughter #1 started dancing when she was 3 or 4. 12+ years later, my passion is taking pictures of dancers. It’s all her fault. I needed to take a picture of Maggie. I ended up getting two.

MK Paints a Wall, the first image of the project, was taken outside the ‘Community Gym’ at River Bluff Middle School in Stoughton. I love good ‘bookends’, so we took a trip inside the same building to shoot the last images in the project.

Maggie is a member of the 65-year-old Stoughton High School Norwegian Dancers. The Dancers complete every performance season with a final show in this gym. Senior dancers cry and hug as they end their careers. It’s quite something, and it’s been going on inside this Art Deco building for decades.

In these images, Maggie is dancing traditional Norwegian folk dance steps, wearing her traditional Norwegian Bunad. The colors and motion bring similar complimentary feelings as the UW dancer’s Modern movements in other images. It’s all connected. Different but the same. We end how we start.

Dancer: Maggie McNulty

Tradition II

This was the artist statement handout that everyone received at the show.