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Pushing the limits physically, psychologically, creatively and theoretically is a big part of Luminary. The artists in Luminary all do this and for a real "gonzo" experience it is necessary to follow them in their process. As an example....Jens and Cenci of Lightmark told us a story that they drove 160 kilometers round trip for 10 days to get one picture in Argentina. That's just a single example of how disciplined and motivated and "driven" all of these artists are. Meeting all of them in their homes and hometowns provides us with a unique insight into the minds of these artists. Luminary is entertaining and visually aggressive.
We made it. If someone had handed me the schedule I made I would have either laughed or cried or run away in fright...all appropriate responses.....I wanted a "gonzo documentarianism" experience and I, at least, had one. This trip was an endurance test. I actually got to a place that is hard for me to reach....I hit my absolute physical limitations on this journey. I remember a classic Ren and Stimpy line from "Space Madness" "....mind strong....body weak...." I'm not weak, I regularly push my limits....but this trip, and the schedule we maintained, allowed me see where the current absolute physical boundaries lie....We pushed beyond these limits on many 4am shoots during the trip and we made it all happen, but collectively this journey was enough to put me face to face with "the wall" more than once. I am happy to report that going to the edge is always a worthwhile endeavor. After rubbing elbows with these artists I came away more humbled than anything else. There is great strength in being with other people who are so measured and solid, the collective exposure to them all makes me feel at once connected to a greater creative awareness and also more responsibility for what I'm thinking and doing in every moment. I have mentioned this before, but for me the magic is not entirely the time the artist is at the location light painting. The magic is their thoughts in the weeks, days, hours before they hit the shutter release button. The camera is a tool, the lights are tools, the environment is an empty page/canvas. The essence is how these artists coordinate, envision and apply their visions to their everyday actions. The real nature of the images comes from the total integration of life and art in their actions. The mustard seed of their magical images is what's going on in their reality as they plan trips, pack bags, collect lights, exercise, and generally prepare for those special moments in the moon light, in the night, at locations vast and sometimes forgotten by the rest of us. Luminary is an exploration into the pictures and process that brings these magic images into being. Inside the art, inside the minds, outside of time. So, instead of feeling like we did a lot I feel like "we have only just begun".... What's ahead? A road trip along the West Coast to see Troy Paiva, Dean Chamberlain (and some others to be announced), hopefully a Texas road trip with Noel Kerns, a trip to Berlin for the Lightwrite festival and then an extended stay in Okayama Japan with Fiziks, Trevor Williams, tdub303..... I am also looking into getting permission from the estate of Man Ray to include his "space writing" pics as part of the history and also looking to get permission to use the famous images Mili took of Picasso light painting..... So what's the destination?...... "Further" 
Matt |
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