2016 East Austin Studio Tour
In Transit
In Transit reveals moments in time on the subway systems of Boston, Chicago, London, New York City, Rome, and Washington DC.
The accompanying narratives are musings and whimsical imaginings of the lives of the anonymous subjects, borne out of boredom waiting for the next train to arrive.
Forbidden
Forbidden
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
August 24, 2009 | 09:50:52 am
I am, at heart, a rule follower. It started in kindergarten. “Stand in line. Don’t touch your neighbor. Sit up straight.” I did it for the gold stars the teachers bought in packages of 1,000 and doled them out like candy. I guess not stepping on the third rail and having 1,000 volts of electricity course through my body is reward enough.
Dreaming
Dreaming
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
June 9, 2008 | 07:42:50 pm
Meredith naps between stops on her way to her second job as a hostess at a restaurant on L street. Her primary job is in the copy center at Georgetown University where she’s an anthropology major. She wants to study the Trobriand Islanders who live off the coast of New Guinea and believe babies are the result of magic.
Leaning
Leaning
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
July 12, 2012 | 08:45:22 am
Judith orders her shoes online. Every time she opens a new box it’s like Christmas morning. She holds the shoes in her hands, admiring the leather and the tiny shiny silver buckles. She sighs; places them back in the shoe box and reverently stacks the shoe box in the closet with all the other ones she’s never worn.
Shopping
Shopping
New York City Subway
May 28, 2011 | 12:06:53 am
Diana doesn’t think her mother-in-law likes her too much. It started at Thanksgiving, the year before she married Tom. She was in the kitchen and she overheard her future mother-in-law say, “what kind of person doesn’t like green bean casserole?!”
When Diana retells the story she uses the word monster instead of person.
Colosseo
Colosseo
Metropolitana di Roma
12 dicembre 2010 | 19:43:40 pm
After graduation, my college roomate Steve bought a one-way ticket to Rome. That was over thirty years ago and he never came back. When I visited Rome, I wondered if I would run into him.
Would he recognize me?
I kept thinking I was seeing him for brief moments, ducking into a coffee shop or a store…or waiting for a train.
Watching
Watching
New York City Subway
May 28, 2011 | 09:43:50 am
Marcus listens to John Coltrane and dreams of playing Jazz at Lincoln Center, but he doesn’t know how to play an instrument. You don’t need to know how to play an instrument in your dreams, you just play. Marcus plays My Favorite Things.
Mind the Gap
Mind the Gap
London Underground
June 2003
Once upon a time, Harry liked his name. He didn’t mind being teased wtih Prince Harry when he was younger. But when a certain Harry Potter came along, life because unbearable. Until he met a beautiful girl named Hermoine. He eventually lost her to his best friend, Ron. Harry has since changed his name to Charlie.
Park Street
Park Street
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
August 22, 2009 | 10:14:44 pm
Ted is the only person in the station not wearing any Red Sox paraphernalia. It’s not even game day and everyone is wearing something Red Sox. One woman is wearing red socks with the letter “B” woven into the design. Ted smiles at her, but she gives him a disapproving look. She recognized a Yankee fan when she sees one.
Behind the Scenes Reflection
2016 was my first experience exhibiting my photography work. It was something I had been thinking about since learning about the East Austin Studio Tour the year before. When I learned Imagine Art was going to participate in EAST, I asked Debbie Kizer, Director of Imagine Art, and she was supportive of my involvement. It was a great learning experience from coming up with the concept to the installation. My inspiration came during a visit to the Dallas Museum of Art for a retrospective on the photographer Irving Penn. I saw an image he had taken at a train station and thought, “I think I have some cool pics taken on subways.” The title, “In Transit,” came quick and once I had it in my head, as well as the image I wanted to highlight, Mind the Gap, it was a done deal. The addition of the quirky narratives came late in the process, as in a few days before the exhibition. I wanted to add something to accompany the framed print, something I thought would engage the viewer more than the quick glance and move on from the photograph.
My first East Austin Studio Tour at Imagine Art (photo credit: Bandita)
Performance artist, Bandita
“In Transit” Exhibition for 2016 East Austin Studio Tour at Imagine Art
In the late 1940s, Irving Penn experimented in his portraiture work by pushing together two studio flats to create a narrow space. His portraits shot in this style were called his “Corner Portraits.” I was inspired to replicate his “Corner Portraits” during 2016 EAST.
Below is a gallery featuring two intrepid friends named Sarah and Uma.
