Michael_Stones
Member
There are reasons behind the following sequence of photos. I recently read Brett Easton Ellis's White, his first non-fictional book. He made some interesting points about disengagement, approval seeking and censoriousness in contemporary Western culture. White prompted me to watch the 2000 movie based on his famous, critically acclaimed 1991 novel, American Psycho. When first published, I started to read the book but gave up after very few chapters. My opinion now is that perseverance would have reaped rewards.
American Psycho is about a New York, Wall Street yuppie. The book, written in the first-person, presents him as a serial killer. However, he's an unreliable reporter. Neither he, nor his colleagues, nor the readers/viewers can properly discern whether the purported killings are real or delusionary.
This uncertainty in American Psycho somewhat parallels that of Antonioni’s 1966 movie, Blow Up. Blow Up is about a fashion photographer during the 'Swinging London' era. He unwittingly photographs what he later considers to be a murder. But despite troublesome circumstantial evidence, he cannot convincingly confirm this suspicion. The final scene sums up the paradox between reality and fantasy as the photographer contributes to a doubles tennis game played without a ball.
Because works of art require a point of departure and some form of destination, the following attempts to epitomize viewpoints from the preceding books/movies in photographic form. Using the final scene from Blow Up as an illustration, the only constant point for departure is neither the unnecessary tennis ball, nor the players, nor even the spectator turned participant, but the context of a tennis court - the court lasts longer than the players and their games. These following photos of a community sports field provide points of departure. Destinations are up to the viewers.
To Keep Out & Keep In
View Though The Wire
Battlefield 1
Battlefield 2
Tennis Court
Hoop
The Sole Spectator
American Psycho is about a New York, Wall Street yuppie. The book, written in the first-person, presents him as a serial killer. However, he's an unreliable reporter. Neither he, nor his colleagues, nor the readers/viewers can properly discern whether the purported killings are real or delusionary.
This uncertainty in American Psycho somewhat parallels that of Antonioni’s 1966 movie, Blow Up. Blow Up is about a fashion photographer during the 'Swinging London' era. He unwittingly photographs what he later considers to be a murder. But despite troublesome circumstantial evidence, he cannot convincingly confirm this suspicion. The final scene sums up the paradox between reality and fantasy as the photographer contributes to a doubles tennis game played without a ball.
Because works of art require a point of departure and some form of destination, the following attempts to epitomize viewpoints from the preceding books/movies in photographic form. Using the final scene from Blow Up as an illustration, the only constant point for departure is neither the unnecessary tennis ball, nor the players, nor even the spectator turned participant, but the context of a tennis court - the court lasts longer than the players and their games. These following photos of a community sports field provide points of departure. Destinations are up to the viewers.
To Keep Out & Keep In
View Though The Wire
Battlefield 1
Battlefield 2
Tennis Court
Hoop
The Sole Spectator
