Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/12/14
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]This is a multi-part message in MIME format. - ------=_NextPart_000_000A_01BE274B.BD4811C0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable What a great day we had on Saturday! I picked up on a notice on one of = the Bulletin Boards (thanks Keith Morris) a couple weeks ago stating = that Joseph Koudelka had 4 exhibitions opening in Cardiff, Wales on the = same day. Following further information from Keith and making more = enquiries I managed to get Private View invitations so, joined by = Richard Bram (M3 over his shoulder) from London, my wife and I made the = trip to Cardiff. There was a bus laid on to take people from show to show =96 and what = some shows! In the party, and very chatty, was Ian Berry (Magnum, = vice-president) who I had met before and famed for his work in = Sharpeville at the massacre. He was complaining gently about the lack of = "meaningful" work in the documentary field. He was busy with corporate = work, but wanted to get his teeth into something worthwhile in the = photo-journalistic sense. He was accompanied by Bryn Cambell (renowned = b&w landscapes - "he=92s Welsh and still got bloody lost" complained = Berry) and the ex-head of the Magnum London office. Ian was working = with a M6 to photograph Koudelka talking to people etc. We started with Koudelkas early theatre work in Prague =96 all soot and = whitewash and very 60=92s. Great stuff but maybe a bit dated by = today=92s standards. Large prints though and superbly made and framed. = Just as we were leaving the man himself rushed in with a small bottle in = a carrier =96 "It=92s not vodka" he reassured us "It=92s stain to touch = up the frames!" Koudelka stayed with us for the rest of the tour, and I = was able to spend some considerable time chatting to him. What a great = guy! We then moved to a second gallery to view contacts from his work on = "landscapes" in South Wales. I will call them landscapes but they show = the industrial land as it really is! The contacts are exquisite = individually framed prints from the negatives made on a Fuji617 (6 x = 17cm panoramic camera). They are framed in white on white gallery walls = to form a frieze around the length of the gallery. Koudelka was = commissioned to do this body of work following his "Black Triangle" work = in Czechoslovakia (as it was then =96 now Slovakia). There was a = personal surprise for me at this point =96 I asked Joseph to sign the = 34-metre long concertina=92d book of "Black Triangle" that I purchased = at the original show in Prague for =A312 ($20). "You know this is = selling in New York for $550 unsigned now, don=92t you?" he asked. The third gallery was showing his collection of images "Exiles" which = were my kind of image! A mixed bag of wonderful images from various = places of people and their situations. The man complaining to his horse = that he (the horse) hadn=92t made enough effort to get sold at the horse = fair whilst the horse stands head bowed etc. etc. Just beautiful, and = wonderfully seen! Back to the National Museum of Wales for the official reception and to = view the South Wales project that we had seen the contacts from earlier = in the day. Large (like 40" x 30" or there abouts) prints again = beautifully executed. What a day! I can sum it up by saying I met a wonderful man who I would = love to have dinner with next time I am in Paris or Prague (he spends = his time between the two cities where he has homes in both.) I want him = to bequeath me his eyes when he dies (heaven forbid!) and tell me who = does his printing for him. A number of Leicas in evidence - and good = to see that Magnum still seems to favour them! - ------=_NextPart_000_000A_01BE274B.BD4811C0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN"> <HTML> <HEAD> <META content=3Dtext/html;charset=3Diso-8859-1 = http-equiv=3DContent-Type> <META content=3D'"MSHTML 4.72.3110.7"' name=3DGENERATOR> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial> <P>What a great day we had on Saturday! I picked up on a notice on one = of the=20 Bulletin Boards (thanks Keith Morris) a couple weeks ago stating that = Joseph=20 Koudelka had 4 exhibitions opening in Cardiff, Wales on the same day. = Following=20 further information from Keith and making more enquiries I managed to = get=20 Private View invitations so, joined by Richard Bram (M3 over his = shoulder) from=20 London, my wife and I made the trip to Cardiff.</P> <P>There was a bus laid on to take people from show to show – and = what=20 some shows! In the party, and very chatty, was Ian Berry (Magnum,=20 vice-president) who I had met before and famed for his work in = Sharpeville at=20 the massacre. He was complaining gently about the lack of = "meaningful"=20 work in the documentary field. He was busy with corporate work, but = wanted to=20 get his teeth into something worthwhile in the photo-journalistic sense. = He was=20 accompanied by Bryn Cambell (renowned b&w landscapes - = "he’s=20 Welsh and still got bloody lost" complained Berry) and the ex-head = of the=20 Magnum London office. Ian was working with a M6 to = photograph=20 Koudelka talking to people etc.</P> <P>We started with Koudelkas early theatre work in Prague – all = soot and=20 whitewash and very 60’s. Great stuff but maybe a bit dated by=20 today’s standards. Large prints though and superbly made and = framed. Just=20 as we were leaving the man himself rushed in with a small bottle in a = carrier=20 – "It’s not vodka" he reassured us = "It’s stain=20 to touch up the frames!" Koudelka stayed with us for the rest of = the tour,=20 and I was able to spend some considerable time chatting to him. What a = great=20 guy!</P> <P>We then moved to a second gallery to view contacts from his work on=20 "landscapes" in South Wales. I will call them landscapes but = they show=20 the industrial land as it really is! The contacts are exquisite = individually=20 framed prints from the negatives made on a Fuji617 (6 x 17cm panoramic = camera).=20 They are framed in white on white gallery walls to form a frieze around = the=20 length of the gallery. Koudelka was commissioned to do this body of work = following his "Black Triangle" work in Czechoslovakia (as it = was then=20 – now Slovakia). There was a personal surprise for me at this = point=20 – I asked Joseph to sign the 34-metre long concertina’d book = of=20 "Black Triangle" that I purchased at the original show in = Prague for=20 £12 ($20). "You know this is selling in New York for $550 = unsigned=20 now, don’t you?" he asked.</P> <P>The third gallery was showing his collection of images = "Exiles"=20 which were my kind of image! A mixed bag of wonderful images from = various places=20 of people and their situations. The man complaining to his horse that he = (the=20 horse) hadn’t made enough effort to get sold at the horse fair = whilst the=20 horse stands head bowed etc. etc. Just beautiful, and wonderfully = seen!</P> <P>Back to the National Museum of Wales for the official reception and = to view=20 the South Wales project that we had seen the contacts from earlier in = the day.=20 Large (like 40" x 30" or there abouts) prints again = beautifully=20 executed.</P> <P>What a day! I can sum it up by saying I met a wonderful man who I = would love=20 to have dinner with next time I am in Paris or Prague (he spends his = time=20 between the two cities where he has homes in both.) I want him to = bequeath me=20 his eyes when he dies (heaven forbid!) and tell me who does his printing = for=20 him. A number of Leicas in evidence - and good to see that = Magnum=20 still seems to favour them!</P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML> - ------=_NextPart_000_000A_01BE274B.BD4811C0--