The Imagined Illusion of Balance - Collage Including Polaroid For Exquisite Corpse Project

This summer, I was invited to be part of an exquisite corpse. It is really not as creepy as it sounds. It began as the parlor game "Consequences" and was later used by the Surrealists on the 1920s. The written version involves passing around a sheet of paper upon which each person makes an contribution then folds the paper to conceal part of what is written before passing it to the next person. Later this game was used with both drawing and collage, with the paper being folded in thirds and each person contributing based on seeing very little of what is above or below. Our project was quite different from these examples...


Believe or Wolfwig Dreams of Venice by Alice Helwig

I was asked by Calgary painter, Alice Helwig, to be part of her exquisite corpse. She created the first piece, the collage above, and then sent a color photograph of it to the next artist, who had two weeks to create a work based on what they received. We were also given a theme to work within. The other artists who participated were Simon Wroot, a metalsmith, Barb Fyvie, a painter, Susan Thorpe, a potter, and Susannah Windrum, a metal worker, mixed media painter, and arts administrator. I work mostly with photography and mixed media. A diverse group, to be sure.

I will not post all of the contributing artists' work here, since Alice did an amazing job of explaining our project and showing each piece along with an artist's quote on her blog. I chose to create a collage. Below you can see images of it and read my statement about my process as well as the materials I used.


Title: The Imagined Illusion of Balance
This is the 5th piece in the series.

Process: I thought about the theme, “the joys and difficulties of being an artist”, before I received Simon’s piece, so I must say I was more influenced by it, than by Simon’s amazing work. For me, as the mother of a three year old and four month old daughters, finding the time to make art is always a challenge. A natural night owl, I generally toil in the latest hours of the night or wee hours of the morning, with my youngest child strapped to me, sleeping. I spend my days thinking about when I will be able to make art, while I am cooking, cleaning, caring for my kids, and trying to do a bit of crafting. As any artist, making art is like breathing so I need to do it. I am infinitely happier, as well as more patient, when I have had time to create.


The Imagined Illusion of Balance by Tiffany Teske

I wanted to make something light hearted to convey my thoughts on trying to find balance amongst the important things in my life and my challenge to find the time to make art. I decided to work on a collage, which is usually something I can create in one sitting, however, this one took me several days of thinking, arranging, viewing, rearranging… I usually start with a vague idea of what I want to accomplish and a pile of materials with which to make it all happen. In this case, I started with a small canvas, 6x6”, and a paper napkin that I brought home from a BBQ (I am a bit of a magpie). The paper has a repeating pattern which reminded me of clocks. The color palette of brown, pink, gold, beige, and white is lovely. The ribbon was added to remove some of the business of the background. The Polaroid had to be added because in most of my photography and art I work with Polaroid. It is blank to act as a backdrop to the woman, but also to put her in “the box”. But, as you can see, both her feet and head are not actually in the box, and the way her head is tilted in thought helps to illustrate that she is in fact thinking “outside of the box”. The “balance” text over her eyes makes her more universal, less individual, but also illustrates she is blinded by her constant thoughts of trying to be balanced. The definition of balance is hovering in an unbalanced state over her. The camera is over her heart both because of her love for creating with it but also because her need to use it is like her need to have blood pumping through her heart. The buttons are like bullets in front of items on a list, but are also fasteners, and the list is of things most important to her. The stitching binds her to these things. “Art Making” is hand written to distinguish its special place of importance on the list. I chose the title because this woman seems to have it all together when people look at her, but in reality, it is all an illusion. Like everyone else, she does the best she can, but makes no secret about her inability to find true balance between all that she loves and needs.

Materials:
6x6” Pre stretched canvas, tissue paper, vintage ribbon, buttons, embroidery thread, text and images from a vintage sewing book and dictionary, under exposed Polaroid 669 pack film image

Four of the artists, including myself, met in early October to show our work to one another and to bind the images and text about each piece into a book. I had not met any of these artists in person, so it was great to have known Alice via the web, and then through her to meet these other amazing artists. One of them lives in the next town and she and I plan to work on more projects in the future, hopefully with new artists and artists from this group. The works from our exquisite corpse were on display for the month of November at the Calgary Jewish Academy.

art, Canadian Photography, Collaborative Art Project, collage, Exquisite Corpse Project, polaroid, Polaroid collage, Tiffany Teske

Feature Article in PhotoEd Magazine

I have long been a fan of PhotoEd Magazine. I was first alerted to this publication when my friend and fellow photographer, Angela Marklew, was featured in their book arts issue. I have submitted to them twice, and the first time I had one of my Polaroid transfers featured in their Reader's Gallery. I blogged about it here.

The second time I submitted, they were looking for portfolio submissions by photographers who were working in historic processes. I contacted Felix Russo, the magazine's publisher, and asked if Polaroid processes would be considered. He was looking for photographers working in all alternative processes and asked me to submit some of my tranfer work. I sent him two bodies of work, my Seeing Double Polaroid Spectra Series, and Personally Created Iconic Memories (which I need to upload to Picasa or Flickr...). Six images from Iconic Memories were selected to appear in the magazine and I was asked to write about the series. I received both a contributor's credit on the magazine's masthead, as a writer, and then had my article in the contents and in the magazine.

No matter how many times I have seen my work in print, as a professional photographer, it is always exciting. I am thrilled to be in full color, across two pages, of this wonderful Canadian publication. And especially to be in THIS issue. It is the 25 issue, called Photography Revisited. It features many talented photographers working in processes from albumen printing to cyanotype toning to pinhole and toy camera photography. I have read about half way through the issue, and I can't wait to get online to check out even more of these artists' work.





Here is Mr. Russo's editorial for this issue:
"With this issue we celebrate a milestone, our 25th issue — a good time to reflect on what photography is and why photographers are fascinated with their art of choice. PhotoEd has always considered that photography is not a singular activity with a uniform approach. In fact, one of the lures of photography is the almost infinite paths that it offers to anyone setting out on a journey of photographic exploration. The sum total of all photographic discoveries, inventions, and processes are available for you to discover. The relation of past processes and present practices is symbiotic—mutually beneficial. Encompass the entirety of photography and you will be rewarded with many rich experiences. Thank you for taking PhotoEd along on your journey and for your support over the years.

The fall 2009 issue of PhotoEd will be a survey of post-secondary colleges, universities, and professional schools offering an education in photography. Consider having your school featured in this issue. Students attending these schools are welcome to submit their portfolios. The photographic universe is expanding at an accelerating pace and education will be your ticket to this new world."

If you are a student, what are you waiting for? Get together your best work and submit to PhotoEd....

I am a photographer for exactly the reason Mr. Russo talks about in his editorial. Photography doesn't present just one option, it is compilation of all things within its history. The options are unlimited, the possibilities endless. It is never the same. I am obsessed with photography. It is my passion. I am so grateful to be able to turn my passion into something that speaks to others.

PhotoEd Magazine Gallery Feature

I have been wanting to blog about this for quite sometime... One day, I opened my mailbox and found two complimentary copies of PhotoEd Magazine inside. I had been previously contacted by Felix Russo, the magazine's publisher, with the good news that one of my Polaroid transfer images had been chosen for publication in their Gallery section.


You can see the image, entitled "Tracks" above. I took this image of the Ottawa O Train Tracks in 2005. I shot it on color slide film, so I could make a transfer, and I also shot it on true black and white film, so I could make a large print. The black and white print hangs in my close friend, artist Karina Bergman's home in Ottawa, and I have made several one of a kind transfers of the color slide, one of which hangs in another artist friend, Selena Wilson Stubson's home in Winnepeg. Both the black and white and color versions are dear to me, and remind me of my father's father, who I never met, since he died when my father was 13. He was a railroad engineer, whose handsome portrait hangs in my home, and whose spirit lives on thanks to the stories my dad tells of him. I can't quite explain the feeling I get when I view this image, but it is similar to the feeling I get when I view his image. I think I romanticize them both. Plus, I have always been strongly drawn to things that are becoming extinct, or antiquated. I have a love for these old things. I was proud to have this image published, especially in a Canadian magazine.

I first found out about PhotoEd in the winter of 2005, when my friend, and fellow Canadian photographer, Angela Marklew, had a photography book she made featured in their "Art of Presentation" issue.


Here is what the PhotoEd website has to say about PhotoEd:
"PhotoEd is about Photography Education; both traditional and New Media. It is a useful resource for students, teachers and anyone desiring an education in photography. It is about motivation, inspiration and passion in photography. The magazine will showcase the work of emerging and established Canadian artists and be a vehicle for showing and sharing the great talent in Canada." Wow, I truly do feel honored...

PhotoEd is published 3 times a year in Toronto. They are currently seeking portfolio submissions from Canadian photographers working in historic processes.

A one of a kind transfer of "Tracks" is available for purchase in my Etsy shop