Depending on whom you ask, the digital era has either impacted the art of photography for better or for worse. For more than a decade, digital photography has brought real advances, like sharpening and darkroom-free manipulation of our images, and even allowing all of us to capture the world in stunning fashion from the palm of our hand (and without much commitment to expensive gear or any real foundational education in the medium). The democratization of photography has enabled shooters to broadcast new worlds -- sometimes even places we never had access to before.
But even as digital photography has sought to replicate the look and feel of old school techniques (see any friend's Instagram feed), film still has a few tricks up her sleeve that will not be easily replicated with the push of a button.
One Grand Rapids artist -- whose 2012 Gaspard Gallery show is getting a second look at the Saugatuck Arts Center this month -- should be at the top of your list if you have ever wondered about the power of the film negative-based photoworks.
Beginning Thursday night and running through July 31, film photographer Chris Cox invites us to view his breathtaking photo series, "Spiritual Lake."
According the Gaspard Gallery's Jacob Bullard, this body of work began its journey with the foundation of two poems he wrote and that Cox set out to illustrate conceptually via his medium format and 35mm cameras -- both film cameras.
To achieve this work, Cox traveled across the state capturing the landscape with a group of friends who had modeled for him over the course of his education at Hope College where he graduated in 2012 with a B.A. in Studio Art.
The result of this work is a rare chance to see the human form in various states of dress, undress, and personal pageantry as it interacts with the land and sea.
In his images, the mystery of the sea is distinguished. Just as digital imagery has employed satellites to geo-tag an origin, Cox tags each work with the latitude and longitude in the title. This old school form of tagging is something I found to be exhilarating in its simplicity. I may never check to see if this code is correct, but when is the last time you did the same with a digital image of your own?
In addition, Spiritual Lakes' film-based photographic works are rich in tone and texture, evoking the beauty of the human form in all of our shades and shadows, while also stretching the imagination with the work's intimacy. You are peering into a world that is foreign and familiar all at the same time. Wanting to be there is often the first reaction to seeing these lovely works of art.
"At the heart of Spiritual Lake is the exploration of the tangible and intangible, sensual experience, human emotion, liminality, memory, and connotation," says Bullard. I couldn't agree more.
The very limited book, "Spiritual Lake," which contains extra images not on display and a CD of music composed to accompany the book, will be available only at the SAC. Out of the first edition run of 50 books, just13 remain at press time.
Admission: Free
More Info