How Groups Grow

Posted on Posted in A Symbol Life, art biz, Criticism, dye transfer2 Comments

learning means doing.

Two groups; both about dye transfer, imbibition printing — that stuff value formed from mythic difficulty, and quite a bit of obscurity.

One group supports each other.

The other group gossips.

  • the new group. smaller. more engaged
  • the old group. hoping for recovery

The older group is the one inherited from the Jim Browning Yahoo group. At one time it held possible growth. There were fans, fanatics and some accomplished practitioners. It was steeped in conservative aesthetics. that of an industrial age. steeped in Kodakery. Over time, it ossified; became pedantic or pedestrian. And died. No hope. It was revived, but not revitalized by an earnest but ineffective dabbler. He fell into the same trap as all fall. Aiming to get it all. He hasn’t gotten anything. Okay, he has Ctein’s newsletter as a regular post. This consists of “what I’m selling this month” to eat.

The other group is much smaller but has criteria for membership. You must be printing. You must not be boring. You are probably younger and practicing wider imagery. If anything, this was always the way imbibition printing was grown in the last century. Kodak never understood that. Frank and crew were too slow to learn that the Klutes had the clue.

overnights: 12.21.22

Posted on Posted in big bits, overnight notes, the fora

another day of snobby hobbies in which they trump each others experience with their theory. basically, they complain that they weren’t consulted before the person proceeded to built something. Too bad the builder showed it on their net-forum. I understand the builder was proud. Bringing back their memories of 60 years ago. Even, perhaps, routing traffic to their YouTube Channel.

who knows… motives always are overlapping functions.

another sample: an original Lomo effect –edge fog, light leaks during exposure of the plastic back camera. Film fog on edges, making fingers of light, flare of plastic lens, over-exposed highlights — all these. This is the fundamental of the school of making do with the basic camera to learn to see without the camera– that was part of the Diana age that was recovered in the Lomo revival of film. The imperfection as affirmation of something other.

Anyhow, the amateur cameras and chemical club sees these as chemical effects. So be it. They have discovered brush development. Ferricyanide (oh my, that is dangerous they opine; they fear — too bad they don’t know)

Too bad they don’t know Eugene Smith, along with many others, used overprinting and bleach back regularly. Chapters in books; handouts from Emulsion Companies.

As well: perpetual need to make pigment prints with partial knowledge.

Notice the ongoing threads: partial knowledge, gathered together to support and sustain a dominate opinion. Reads like talk-radio. 

try before deny
/ koraks and the soft brag
they know more than they do
seeing the way of film

... ektar /photrio thread\\\ granting permission from the back office of soft woods
Well, you're not too hot on electrical engineering, and I happen to have no interest in sports, so I think we can call it even.

Improvement:
https://www.quora.com/How-does-a-single-LED-light-glow-in-multiple-colours
A Study on the Alternative Process for the Toxicity Print: of Gum Bichromate 4-Color Gelatin Pigment Process using DAS