DrJoolz Snapshotz on Life

in NYC a week or so ago was so exciting. That is to say, there were people that I was in contact with on the Flickr website who I met in meat space NYC while on my week there.
What I found really amazing about meeting the people was HOW RIGHT we were (TT and I) in thinking we would get on well. We had felt pretty confident, as we had seen people’s photos and been talking with them online about their stuff and ours for a number of months. Photos are pretty revealing about people’s lives and values and interests even if they are not intimate or in domestic/ personal settings.

But what was amazing was exactly how similar we are … our expectations were surpassed. We were people who were all interested in ideas, in education, in writing. We did not know what anyone’s job was before we went, but we met teachers and journalists (and other writers) , social workers and people who were in careers advice. So similar to the work we both do. Of course we do not use such crude criteria for assessing whether we like people or not, but we were amazed at how somehow, we had managed to sift through all the possibilities on Flickr and use our social knowledge and habits and lingiuistic rituals to find ‘people like us’ with similar values and life expectancies and lifestyles. It made me realise how much unconscious work we do all the time with our antennae detecting who we will talk with and who we will pass by. They were people who go to the theatre and visit photography and art exhibitions … but somehow it was more than this. We ‘clicked’.

When we talked about this we agreed that on Flickr we like to communicate with people whose photos we like; who make ‘good comments’ and who respond to remarks, who reciprocated similar behaviours. I am sure it is the quality of the comments that were key - Niznoz said for example that he liked witty, clever comments. I think that humour is something that we use to convey our values - what we like, dislike etc. There are linguistic rituals I think we take part in that help us make judgements. I need to look into this. Want to think about this more. We have fun on Flickr and really sift through the people.

We were looked after by people who gave up whole days to take us round their favourite bits of the city, or to show us things they thought we would be interested in. Other days we spent on our own. The shots I took below reflect interests I have newly developed since going on Flickr - looking at streetart is not something I was previously interested in. But the habit of walking round with my camera all the time has made me aware of the things in cities I used to ignore. And what was once the background, has become foregrounded in my eyes as I walk the streets. I am developing a wider range of perspectives to look at the world through…. My world is changing so tyhat what was at the back is now at the front …

The first work here is from SWOON, who does really elaborate murals, paste ups with incredible detail. (Look at the skill in the detail, in the art.) This one is on chinese newspaper:

These are details of the girl’s face and hand:

There is so much stuff hidden about in spaces as here:

Look behind the bars: (hatemail)

I saw so omuch unconventional art that when I came across this I did not know if it was an urban street installation, or just a bike(!):

This kind of thing really amused me - Jesus with a cup of tea (or is a mocha?) next to surveillance cameras and a light. I like to think that the three are connected somehow under the title of ‘enlightenment’ or ‘all seeing’.

More photos are here.

I will continue to upload what I have got - but in the meantime life goes on and I accumulate pictures daily of what is happening here.

I belong to so many Flickr groups now, and I like to keep involved with them all. Life online feels so busy and it is all becoming very complex now that even more of it is merging so much with every aother aspect of my world.

Does everyone else feel the same? So many blogs to read; pictures to see. Things to write and respond to.

Then there’s the day job.

I need to be much more selective, that’s for sure. And THAT is a thing we have to teach about all this online stuff. Select and pick a way through.