"Anna In Austria" - Workshop 2009
There are a lot of times when I feel confused and frustrated about how to manage or organize events and opportunities in my life. Sometimes, I feel like I’m running out of time and other times, I feel like I haven’t maximized the opportunities I’ve been given. It’s always a lesson about being present to your experiences and your life. We’ve been living a hundred lifetimes over the last three years here. It’s been the most rewarding and enlightening time of my life.
If I was a politician and I could pass one bill, it would be called, “HB 2009 The Americans Abroad Act”. It would state that every American must live abroad for at least one year. They would be given a small stipend but they must also contribute to the community that they live in and earn money. The bare essentials would be provided, nothing more. And they must also document their experiences (journals, blogs, photography, art, etc). I would appropriate some of the stimulus package money to make this happen. It would be one the best investments America could make in all aspects of the word investment – financial, moral, spiritual, and cultural, etc. This would change the world, I would guarantee it.
I have some really cool things happening that I wanted to share with you. First, this Saturday, May 2, 2009, is the Worldwide Wet Plate Collodion Day. People from all over the world will be making plates Saturday to honor F.S. Archer, the inventor, and to celebrate the process itself. Over the next few weeks, I’ll gather the images and publish a catalog of the work, and the event, that people can purchase. The idea is to raise money to put a headstone on Archer’s grave.
On Sunday, we’ll be back in Frankfurt (Höchst), weather permitting, making portraits and showing work. The Montmartre Am Main event is always a good time.
I just received word that I’ll be going to Budapest, Hungary at the end of May to do a Wet Plate Collodion workshop. This will be a great trip. We’re driving so it will be a 9 hour trip each way (1000 km each way). We’ll go through Germany, Austria, Slovakia, and then into Hungary. Which is better, Buda or Pest? I hear Buda is mountainous and Pest is urban. With 2 million people there, it’s a substantial city. We'll be spending the Hungarian Fornit - 100 HUF is .45 cents USD (today).
And finally, we’ll be traveling to Paris, France in June. There is a huge photo fair and art fair in Bièvres, just outside of Paris (15 minutes). Jeanne and I went once in 2007, it was a lot of fun. We met some great people. This time, we’ll be in good and familiar company – our friends and colleagues from all over Europe are converging at the fair. It’s going to be a lot of fun. I’m trying to arrange for a space next to the French Alt Photo people to setup my dark-box and chemistry laboratory. I want to do some demonstrations and make some portraits. You couldn’t ask for a better audience.