private
Went walking down a few alleys today — taking pictures as usual — and I started wondering about taking pictures of public art. Many of the pictures I take in alleys are of “naturally occuring” decay, structures, and refuse. But sometimes it’s the mixture of these elements with tags, stencils, stickers, or whatever that makes the picture.
In these cases I wonder whose “voice” the photo conveys. I am quite purposeful in framing shots and creating a context of sorts but maybe it’s still just a document of someone else’s art. Some of the pictures I take are purely for my own memory as the urban landscape has the habit of changing very quickly — especially as soon as you start counting on it not changing. But other photos are more in-line with found art.
I’ve thought lately about doing some small-scale public art so that I’m contributing my voice to the visual landscape of the alleys and other locations that I photograph. I’ve thought about stencilling but I’m not sure yet what I want to do. It’s a bit daunting since I’m only just getting used to the comparatively simple public act of photography.
