Burned Shoes

ELLEN JANTZEN: GHOST WRITER ”(…) each typewriter has...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:48:00 +0200

”(…) each typewriter has a story to tell. Was it used to write a novel, poems or letters to editors? Was it used purely for business? Which users are still alive and which users have passed on?

I feel that more than most artifacts, the typewriter has a very personal connection with the user on a physical level (touching) AND on an emotional/intellectual level. The act of writing, even if only transcribing shorthand, draws upon the inner world of the typist.

In this series I am invoking the spirit of past users of each typewriter I photographed.” - Ellen Jantzen

I bought a beautiful typewriter from the 1930s-40s a few days ago, a Naumann Ideal Modell ET, from the inital owner who told me some funny stories about it. Since then I enjoy writing postcards & letters with it, good old letters…

Playing with words, soothed by the sound of the type bars smashing against paper, leaving their mark, transporting a message; and it’s wonderful, you know, to have an addressee out there who’s happy to receive these analogue creations, your words filled with soul, paper as their carrier.

© Fred H. Kiser, ca. 1930, Phantom Ship Island, Oregon “Poetry...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:11:00 +0200

© Fred H. Kiser, ca. 1930, Phantom Ship Island, Oregon

“Poetry is a phantom script telling how rainbows are made and why they go away.”
― Carl Sandburg

THANKS TO 100,000 FOLLOWERS !!! To put these into simple...

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 22:13:57 +0200

THANKS TO 100,000 FOLLOWERS !!!

To put these into simple words first:

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

I’m overwhelmed. Never have I thought of reaching such a mass of people with what I’m doing - writing about, presenting photographs/photography. I’m amazed. Thanks for your interest, your words, thoughts, time, hearts, reblogs, shares, pins, plus’s & thanks for your time (“…and you can thank me for mine…”, from Sixto Rodriguez - Forget It) …

If you’re interested you can find my personal photography on burnedshoes.com.

THANK YOU GOOGLE

Thanks to Google for letting the world know what burned shoes are all about, and for your wonderful image search - this makes blogging & research a lot easier!

THANK YOU TUMBLR

Huge respect & praises also go out to the Tumblr team: you’re doing an amazing job! Thanks for the wonderful support and 2 1/2 great years of blogging here. I know that there have been a lot of changes going on lately (design, yahoo, …) and some people became exasperated about it, but I’m very confident that you keep up your great work! Just don’t let money guide you, then nothing can go wrong…

A HEARTWARMING STORY (AS A GIFT)

As a little gift I want to present to you the most moving blog story, a story about life, death & passion:

Some time ago, in September 2011, I first heard about the photographer Robert Landsburg, a man who gave his life for his passion: photography (read the whole story here). Suddenly, in May 2012 I received this message on my Facebook page:

“Thanks for sharing the last photos of my friend Robert Landsburg on your blog site. Looking at your photos, your logo (…) I think you and Bob would have hit it off very well. Tomorrow, today, marks the 32nd anniversary of the eruption. Finding your site and your work kinda makes me feel he is still with us bringing like minded folks together. Peace.” (Richard Anderson)

Yes, blogging can also make one cry. I’m looking forward to many many more years and moments like that.

Enjoy travelling with me from A to B and Back Again, all the best,
Burnéd Shoés

PHOTOBOOK: LUCIAN PERKINS - HARD ART, DC 1979 Pulitzer...

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 23:57:00 +0200

Joe Strummer, 1977

Sid Vicious, 1977

Richard Hell, late 1970s

John Lydon, 1976

Jordan, 1977

Patti Smith, late 1970s

Joe Strummer, late 1970s

PHOTOBOOK: LUCIAN PERKINS - HARD ART, DC 1979

Pulitzer Prize–winning photojournalist Perkins’s images, taken during the fall and winter of 1979 and published to accompany a traveling exhibition, document a formative period in Washington, D.C.’s then-nascent punk and hardcore rock scene. At a time when local bands were struggling to find venues at which to perform, hardcore groups began playing at a daring set of ‘unheralded, unproduced, DIY pop-ups.’

Perkins was one of the few to bring a camera to these shows, and he produced propulsive images of the aesthetic as it was forming. Photos capturing the raw magnetism of performers like Charlie Danbury of Trenchmouth and H.R. of Bad Brains signal the power of the music. Perkins is also fascinated with the audience at these events, showcasing dingy stairwells and sweat-glazed faces.

In telling shots, performers and audience blur into a frenzied mass. Musician MacKaye, of the Untouchables, gives a firsthand account of being a 14-year-old at these shows, crossing dangerous parts of D.C. in order to stand with strangers in derelict buildings and hear live music. Musician Rollins’s brief essay on one of the bands, the Teen Idles, speaks to the intensity and commitment of those involved.” — Publishers Weekly

These photographs were published in Perkins’ book Hard Art, DC 1979.

» find more photobooks here « | » more photos of famous people «

© Irving Penn, 1986, Gorilla Skull (Male), Prague “Reality is...

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 22:38:00 +0200

© Irving Penn, 1986, Gorilla Skull (Male), Prague

“Reality is inside the skull.” ― George Orwell, 1984

Unknown photographer, ca. 1946, Sheep in a bombed out hangar in...

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 16:06:30 +0200

Unknown photographer, ca. 1946, Sheep in a bombed out hangar in Leipzig

This picture says so much about war and war games people play. We stupid animals. Stupid.

» find more photos of World War 2 here «

© Unknown photographer, 1970s, Argentina A woman lays dead on...

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 12:57:26 +0200

© Unknown photographer, 1970s, Argentina

A woman lays dead on the side of the road after the car she was in was shot by right-wing paramilitary forces known as Triple A (Argentine Anti-communist Alliance) on the outskirts of La Plata, Argentina.

In 1975, the right-wing dictatorships of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay embarked on a military plan called Operation Condor. The mission was to eliminate opponents to the regimes. Many of the victims came to be known as the “Disappeared,” because the government would simply make its detractors vanish.

It’s estimated that at least 60,000 people died as a result of Operation Condor. From the Amazon jungle in Brazil to the cold lands of Patagonia, thousands of victims were placed in unmarked graves, while others were thrown alive into the ocean from airplanes. (read more)

© Ed van Wijk, undated, Balloons “Nobody can be uncheered with...

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 11:39:01 +0200

© Ed van Wijk, undated, Balloons

“Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon.” ― A.A. Milne

© Nick Albertson, 2012-13, Your Office Drawer “I layer and...

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 11:18:00 +0200

Black Tape, 2012

Pink Napkins, 2012

Rubber Bands 2, 2012

Masking Tape, 2013

Paper clips, 2012

© Nick Albertson, 2012-13, Your Office Drawer

“I layer and arrange everyday household materials much in the way a painter applies pigment to a canvas, building a composition up from nothing. While my photographs are visually similar to some modernist painting (such as those by abstract Expressionists or Minimalists), my use of ordinary materials as my ‘brushstrokes’ playfully questions the self-seriousness of those artists. I simultaneuously love the beauty and simplicity of that work while I find the accompanying contention of artist-as-genius to be outmoded and pretentious.

My decision to engage with disposable objects also resonates with my choice to use the medium of photography, itself often considered to be ubiquitous and utilitarian. My photographs understate the functionality of my materials, and privileges their formal aspects. Similarly, my work emphasizes photography as artistic medium rather than a functional one. This tension between form and function drives my practice.” (Nick Albertson)

© Burnéd Shoés, June 11, 2013, ‘Allt verður í lagi’ / Austria My...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 21:24:26 +0200

© Burnéd Shoés, June 11, 2013, ‘Allt verður í lagi’ / Austria

My personal photo & graphic design website is online: burnedshoes.com
Here’s the Tumblr address: burnedshoesarts.tumblr.com

(photography by burnedshoesarts)

PHOTOBOOK: ANSICHTSSACHE Architecture in the mountains &...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 21:00:33 +0200

Christan Kerez, 1989/90. Machine room of the power station Hinterrhein. © Christian Kerez

Adolphe Braun used to sell his photos as postcards, like this taken in Ftan, between 1860 and 1865. © Adolphe Braun

Langwieser viaduct construction, 1913. © F. Junginger-Heft - Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, LM-100998

Albert Steiner documents the work of architect Rudolf Gaberel: 1935, Zürch, Heilstätte Clavadel-Davos. © Albert Steiner, Archiv Krähenbühl Architekten AG Davos

PHOTOBOOK: ANSICHTSSACHE

Architecture in the mountains & pictures of this architecture: This book, published by Scheidegger & Spiess, represents and documents the architecture in the Alps photographically.

‘Ansichtssache’ was published by Stephan Kunz and Köbi Gantenbein / Scheidegger & Spiess.

» find more photobooks here «

© Malcolm Browne / AP Photo, Jun. 11, 1963, Thich Quang Duc...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:01:00 +0200

© Malcolm Browne / AP Photo, Jun. 11, 1963, Thich Quang Duc burns himself

50 years ago today: Thich Quang Duc (Thích Quảng Đức), a Buddhist monk, burns himself to death on a Saigon street to protest alleged persecution of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese government.

This photograph was a shock all around the world. The situation today: In Tibet only, far more than 100 people set themselves on fire every year. That’s an evidence of incapacity for human beings and governments all around the world, don’t you think? We all have to live with the fact that the people give their lives because they think it’s the only way to change things for better. What a fucked up world we live in. Sometimes I wonder.

© Newton W. Gulick / National Geographic, 1921, Balloon seller,...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 00:46:59 +0200

© Newton W. Gulick / National Geographic, 1921, Balloon seller, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Balloons, for you. Luftballons. Somebody told me you like balloons…

© Paolo Marchetti, Aug 2009, Cochin, Kerala A patient suffering...

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 20:30:32 +0200

© Paolo Marchetti, Aug 2009, Cochin, Kerala

A patient suffering from suspected of mental illness prays on his bunk in Cochin. In the state, three religions coexist peacefully: 55% Hindu, 25% Muslim and 20%.

Variously characterized as the “private land of God,” the “land of flowers” and the “diamond” of the subcontinent, the state of Kerala—perched on the southwestern tip of the Indian peninsula—is renowned for breathtaking landscapes and, in contrast to much of South Asia, an uncommonly high standard of living. Despite enjoying India’s highest life expectancy and literacy rates, however, Kerala also struggles with staggering numbers of homeless, alcoholics and suicides. The rate at which someone takes his or her own life in Kerala is three times the national average. These blots on an otherwise near-flawless reputation have puzzled researchers for years.

“The rapid economic development has left many people behind and amplified social taboos,” photographer Paolo Marchetti tells TIME. “All of these problems are really linked together—single pages of the same book.” (+)

THE SENSELESS/NAMELESS SET - Part 7 The Packet Three...

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 18:24:00 +0200

Sergio Larrain, GREAT BRITAIN. England. London. 1959.

Henri Cartier-Bresson, Vienna, Austria, 1953. In front of the Hofburg Palace

Elliott Erwitt, USA. New York City. 1949.

THE SENSELESS/NAMELESS SET - Part 7

The Packet

Three photographs. No real connection. Welcome to senseless/nameless sets. (+)

“If I were given the opportunity to present a gift to the next generation, it would be the ability for each individual to learn to laugh at himself.” ― Charles M. Schulz

» more senseless/nameless sets « | » more of Magnum Photos «

SUCH A BEAUTIFUL, SUNSHINY DAY

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 11:58:00 +0200

I had such a wonderful day yesterday! Vienna Photo Book Festival at Galerie Anzenberger, meeting & chatting with Klaus Pichler (thanks for the book!), buying Anders Petersen’s ‘Du mich auch’ from a lovely lady from Denmark (incl. one of my favourite photographs; that’s also the one the lady chose to pose with when I asked to take her picture, more about that later).

Finally picking up Jak Tuggener’s breathtaking book ‘Fabrik’ from the 5Uhr30 booth (thanks to the lady with pity for the poor), a long time favourite, and finally running into Andreas H. Bitesnich (the book was actually from his own collection) who I didn’t recognize (I guess I’m better at recognizing his photographs). Thanks for the lovely chat Andreas, I can’t wait to see your book collection in, how I already call it, ‘the treasure-house’!

After that I had a great evening in the sun with fantastic open air music, friends, chats, laughter, dog, coffee, drinks, an adventure, dinner (I like my adventures before dinner)… if someone asked me to describe my perfect day, well I guess yesterday would get very close to that description, only a few things missing, as always :) but that’s life and that’s what I love about it, don’t you, too? things to wait for - such things are rare these days. I guess…

I’ll write about that special day soon, also about Klaus Pichler’s new, great book, ‘Skeletons in the Closet’ - stay tuned! Yours trully, Burnéd

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 00:33:00 +0200

Unknown photographer, Oct 1903, Alexander Graham Bell and Mabel...

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 21:56:18 +0200

Unknown photographer, Oct 1903, Alexander Graham Bell and Mabel kissing within a tetrahedral kite

“Kiss me, and you will see how important I am.” ― Sylvia Plath

» more photos of famous people «

WALTER SCHELS - LIFE BEFORE DEATH The series Life before death...

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 19:15:00 +0200

Jens Pallas, 62 years, LEFT: Dec 1, 2004, RIGHT: Dec. 15, 2003 (after his death)

Maria Hai-Anh Tuyet Cao, 52 years. LEFT: Dec 3, 2003 / RIGHT: Feb 15, 2004 (after her death)

Edelgard Clavey, 67 years, LEFT: Dec 5, 2003 / RIGHT: Jan 4, 2004 (after her death)

Wolfgang Kotzahn, 57 years, LEFT: Jan 15, 2004 / RIGHT: Feb 4, 2004 (after his death)

Barbare Gröne, 51 years. LEFT: Nov 11, 2003 / RIGHT: Nov 22, 2003 (after her death)

WALTER SCHELS - LIFE BEFORE DEATH

The series Life before death is composed of portraits taken before and after the person depicted has died. The subjects are terminal patients, aware that little time is left for them to live. The work produced by Walter and by Beate Lakotta, who recorded interviews with these persons over their last days, is a unique and moving document of life and death, of the thin line that separates them.

Schels’ intention is to show that pain does not exist beyond life. In each of the photographs, his characters repose in the quietude of silence, in harmony, far from the torments of this world. It is, unquestionably, a singular work that takes the portrait to a new dimension.

Have you ever looked into the eyes of a person that knew he/she was going to die very soon? I always thought that these ‘moribunds’ would have sad, empty eyes. But I was wrong…

Twelve years ago, on June 10, 2001, a picture like the ones above, the ones on the right side, has burned into my eyes, into my brain. That was the day my beloved ‘Oma’ left. May your soul rest in peace, you’re always in my heart.

PHOTO: My ‘Oma’ with my mother, location unreadable, July 1952

“Between the dark, heavily laden treetops of the spreading chestnut trees could be seen the dark blue of the sky, full of stars, all solemn and golden, which extended their radiance unconcernedly into the distance. That was the nature of the stars, and the trees bore their buds and blossoms and scars for everyone to see, and whether it signified pleasure or pain, they accepted the strong will to live. Flies that lived only for a day swarmed toward their death. Every life had its radiance and beauty. I had insight into it all for a moment, understood it and found it good, and also found my life and sorrows good.” ― Hermann Hesse

About the photographer: Walter Schels was born in Landhust in 1936, he went to New York in 1966 and became a photographer, later returned to Germany in 1966 and worked for different magazines, becoming popular for his portraits of celebrities and animals. After his experience documenting a birth for the magazine Eltern, he decided to photograph the human face and to observe existence through extreme situations. (+)

More info on his website. Thanks to my friend Floke for this touching story!

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 18:30:00 +0200

(thanks to / via: arpeggia; source: likeafieldmouse)