In Tandem : Walter Martin & Paloma Muñoz

Snow Globes

Huge fans of their work for some time now, we were recently awarded the pleasure to see images from their Traveler series in person at P.P.O.W. Though we didn't get to see the actual snow globes (as many as 750 made by the prolific duo), we delighted in seeing their photographs.

Traveler 186 at Night, 2006

Within the simple constraints of a glass globe, the captivating images in Travelers conjure up entire sequences of imaginary worlds and events. Walter Martin and Paloma Muñoz collaboratively create mesmerizing miniature snowbound environments, then record them in chilly color photographs. At first glance the work is playful; on closer observation, it often reveals darker narratives: lone wanderers survey the frigid landscape, people and creatures exhibit unnatural tendencies, and ill-defined crimes are committed.

Traveler 204, 2006

Traveler 46 at Night, 2003

Martin and Muñoz create the figures—either adapting ready-mades or shaping them out of clay—then paint and position them within environments that they also construct. The final compositions are then captured in photographs that are meticulously stitched and adjusted digitally for the final effect. Curator Dan Cameron has complemented the artists on their ability to juggle both visual and psychological charges: “At the same time that they produce riddle-like parables about modern existence, they do not shirk the artist’s obligation to invent a new formulation of tactile and even sensual pleasure.” -Aperture

Traveler 218, 2007
all images © Walter Martin & Paloma Muñoz

On The Road Again

'through our windshield'

We hit the pavement hard the past few days on a road trip from NY to South Carolina for some family fun and to work on Hurry Up & Wait. Not in a truck, but in a rental this time, still stopping by truck stops we passed along the way, which made our 13hr drive a little longer. It seems like we haven't been in a truck much longer than a few months, and wondered what it would feel like approaching drivers without being drivers ourselves. Turns out some were more interested that we stopped driving and enjoyed looking at the work we've shot thus far. It felt strange to be back, but it felt right. The nostalgia crept in, and while we indulged in what surrounded us, we were also glad to be able to work without worrying about a load and if we'd make it on time. Summer's almost over, but as soon as we get our car on the road, we look forward to our wknd road-trips and meeting more fellow drivers. Enjoy the few days left before Labor Day, then hit the ground running in September!

Bacon Please!

Portrait of John Edwards, 1988
© The Estate of Francis Bacon
Portrait of John Edwards, 1988
So we're probably the last people in NY (or even the entire metroplitan area) to go see the extraordinary centenary Francis Bacon retrospective at the Met, but we lived in a truck for a year and made a point to see it before it closed. It was definitely worth a visit, though we do wish it wasn't so crowded so we can view the work as we would have liked.....without bumping into people and having them walk right in front of the paintings.

We were drawn to his expressions of the human form in addition to his palette and composition. But what we love most about retrospectives of an artist's career is that aside from highlighting their most memorable works, you see the growth, development, progression, and achievement of the artist. One of the underlining sections of the show was the incredible amount of material on view from his personal studio, showing the viewer where he pulled his inspiration and sources from. To see Eadweard Muybridge photographs was a delightful surprise, one which made absolute sense in documenting and studying motion and movement.

Bacon really makes everything taste much better!

07302

Made it out to P.P.O.W. Gallery in Chelsea for Young Curator's New Ideas II organized by Amani Olu. Saw some old friends, made some new ones, and finally put a face to those we've only known through this thing we call the internet.


© Michele Abeles
curated by Women In Photography : Amy Elkins and Cara Philips

Feels good to be back, but equally as strange. We already find ourselves forgetting what it was like to live in a truck for a year and the culture we were a part of. I suppose the city does that to you. Every time we pass an eighteen wheeler and/or a truck stop it reminds us of the life we recently left, humbling us for that brief passing moment until we're honked at or bumped into just walking on the sidewalk. We were isolated and felt alone more often than not while driving our tractor-trailer, but are now overwhelmed searching for that solace. To imagine we only used public restrooms, cooked, slept, and did everything else in our truck, showered and did laundry at trucks stops, made deliveries of random things from toilet paper, rice, cat litter, laundry detergent, windows, car parts, fertilizer, copper, flat screen tv's, psp's, paint, water, bicycles, newspapers, home furnishings, you name it. Now we're back to the consumer side of things. And perhaps that bottle of water you're drinking, or that roll of paper towel was brought to you by us, or another friendly trucker, hundreds of miles away.

Cheers!

Wait...

....watch that plastic cup!

a[n installation] view of our Moto Mart image at the opening of the salon style Foto8 Summer Show at Host Gallery, London
image courtesy of Foto8

Under Construction

Sleeping Trailers, Allentown, PA 2009
from the series Hurry Up & Wait

Bare with us while we desperately try to give our site a new makeover. Until then, we have a temporary html version up and running, showing a few images from our new ongoing body of work. Check it out, we always welcome your thoughts.