PhotoStatic 37: August 1989

http://psrf.detritus.net/volume/7/p37.html

Production, Not Reproduction

Inspired by a quote by 20th-century design and photography master László Moholy-Nagy, the stated theme of this issue is a continuation of the set of ideas that can even be seen, if dimly, in the first few issues: that of turning a process intended for reproduction into a device for originating expressive content.

Implicit in this stance, we felt, was a critique of the commonplace mental sets normally found in the businesses and institutions where xerox machines and multilith presses found their homes. We were saying that those who could afford to equip themselves with such devices lacked the vision to use them well. We felt it was up to us to apply imagination to the task of using these powerful communication tools, and finding in them a certain virtuosity.

This quasi-political (or at least socio-critical) attitude is reflected in the choice of many of the works that appear in this, and preceeding, issues of the series.

José Vanden Broucke and A.1. Waste Paper Co. offer intriguing series of visuals, which show up alongside remarkable humorous texts by Al Ackerman and Eric Harold Belgum. Also noteworthy is a series of visio-verbal collages by Guy R. Beining and the usual columns by the likes of Bob Grumman, Miekal And, Brad Goins, Thomas Wiloch, and others. It is also worth noting that Stewart Home’s text calling for an “Art Strike 1990-1993” marks the first time this collective (in)action makes an appearance in these pages. And, as always, there’s much more in the issue than we can mention here.