CC Season 7 (September/22) Nominations Discussion

Curation
#1

Everyone is welcome to discuss the works nominated for this season of community curation!

All members are encouraged to join in the discussion, even if they were not the one’s submitting the nominations.

Looking forward to everyone’s thoughts!

Alex Bartsch - Covers
Stephan Gladieu - North Korea
Peter Nitsch & Karin Apollonia Müller - Covered Cars
Aleksandra - Sunshine Nudity
Carolyn Drake and Andres Gonzalez - Ficciones
Barry Sutton - 96 degrees in the shade.
Serap Gorunme - True Darkness
Carolyn Drake - Knit Club
Jacob Bijani and Noah Kalina - Chicken Photos
Robert LeBlanc - Tin Lizards

1 Like
#2

I did not nominate this project but will certainly, among others, vote for Chicken Photos. This is a fun and very crypto native project.

Please check out the website https://chicken.photos/

:rooster: How does this work?

The system consists of a Canon 7D, a speed flash, a Raspberry Pi, and an ultrasonic motion trigger.

Whenever a chicken passes in front of the motion sensor, the Pi snaps a photo on the camera, which in turn fires the speed flash. Once the photo is taken, the Pi downloads the photo from the camera’s SD card and uploads it to our website. The photo is then tweeted and potentially minted as an NFT.

More reading in Zora Zine :point_right:t3: The Playful Antics of Chickens are Anything but Bird-brained – ZORA ZINE

#3

However I did nominate ‘North Korea’ by Stephan Gladieu.

I think it’s just great photography. The collection gives you an insight in how the North Korea would like to present its citizens to the world, though somewhere in the images you can sense something else and maybe get a bit of an idea of real North Korean life. I encourage to study the images, look closely at the clothes, the settings and background.

Stephan Gladieu began his career as a war photographer in 1989. During 5 trips over 3 years, Stephan Gladieu managed to get closer to the North Korean inhabitants.

“When you hear about North Korea in the media, it’s always about its totalitarian regime, the Kim dynasty, nuclear weapons, but you never hear about the people. There are 25 million people in North Korea and no one wonders what their lives are like. It is rather the country itself, its singularity, which attracts attention and fascinates. That is why, for me, it was essential that I focus on people.” - Stephan Gladieu

1 Like
#4

I love this project. In portraying his subjects in a respectful, austere, straightforward way, Gladieu has created these scenes that on first view one is not sure if they are real or staged- like a parody of ‘art of the state.’ Yet he has portrayed them with dignity and thoughtfulness that goes beyond the political and socio-economic landscape to reveal something of their essential humanity.

2 Likes
#5

OK here is some background info on Tin Lizards. This is a commissioned drop, underwritten by collectors. What does this mean? On October 1, Robert LeBlanc, known for his gritty photographs of American subcultures, is embarking on a 5 month journey on the Amtrak railroads across the American heartland. The series will result in a 45 piece collection of photographs. The ERC 1155 collectable token is limited to 10, meaning 10 collectors will underwrite the project through the purchase of the token, priced at 2.5 ETH. Each collector will receive 4 images, 1/1 ERC 721 tokens, on release of the final collection May 1, 2023. This is a fully interactive, blockchain native project, collectors will be an integral part of the creation and curation process, voting on directions, destinations and other details through a private Twitter community and the 96 Studio discord. Collectors will also have the opportunity to weigh in on the final image selection. More details at Robert LeBlanc — 96 Studio

BIO
Robert’s current project “A New America” is collected by some of the top collectors in the space.

Robert LeBlanc is an art and documentary photographer. His work is marked by uncommon intensity and immediacy, the product of a career spent documenting subcultures, rappers and the raw corners of the world from a position of extreme closeness.

His projects are often the result of years worth of trust-building, and he has built a practice of finding and gaining intimate access to undiscovered and revelatory slices of life that speak with great power to a world in upheaval. He has documented hotshot firefighters, hurricane survivors, Pentecostal snake handlers, and the American sideshow scene .

His book Unlawful Conduct, which pre-sold out in 8 countries, has been carried in leading art bookstores around the world including MoMA PS1 and the Frye Art Museum. His upcoming book, A New America is a panoramic exploration of daily life and the wild fringes of a country in uncommon times, seen by a photographer with an uncommon lens.

LeBlanc is regularly published in both avant-garde and reportage magazines, commissioned by prominent fashion labels, record labels, and automotive companies.

Selected publications include i-D, VICE, Buzzfeed News, Into The Cold, Paper Magazine, Monster Children, Sony Alpha, Hypebeast, HighSnobiety, Bitchslap Magazine, Flaunt Magazine, Dodho Magazine and The Photographic Journal.

Selected clients include Tesla, Adidas, New Balance, Vice, SONY, Fujifilm, Levis, Carhartt WIP, Red Bull, Born X Raised, Stones Throw Records, OBEY, HUF, Roc Nation.

2 Likes
#6

How it started
Let me introduce you to CVRD - covered cars. It’s a collab project I’m running with photographer Karin Apollonia Müller. We both met roughly 7 months ago. I was browsing her website and discovered she had photographed the same subject as I did, covered cars. We got in contact and both immediately liked the idea of making a duo NFT collection out of it. Apollonia was inspired by the photo of Robert Frank, Long Beach, California 1956. I was intrigued by the fact, that in Bangkok you solely find those covered cars in the lower or middle class, but not the upper class and wanted to document that with an otherworldly look - at night.

We both worked on the concept of the collection, that has a lot of diversity on the same topic - and that is what we think makes the series interesting:

Apollonia photographed in Los Angeles, California, I photographed in Bangkok, Thailand. Apollonia uses an ethereal palette of muted tones during daylight to sunset whereas I make use of the nightly silence of colored spotlights and vibrant fluorescent street lights. Apollonia consequently horizontal, I consequently vertical.

We both want to explore the nexus of cultural understanding and the allure of the unknown and hidden, mystery and certainty, conspiracy and truth.

Please check out the website CVRD

For the collection we came up with price (rarity) tiers:
It was not easy to curate a final selection from all the images we had. Each selected image convinces in its own complexity and uniqueness. It was even more difficult to classify the images into price categories. So we decided on a formal aspect which is: “Rarity aspect”. For example Tier 3 has more rarities than Tier 2. We see a covered motorcycle or a Porsche with an open trunk, a woolen cover or a black cover and so on. The Grails and Trophies are perhaps our personal diamonds. There is something distinctive and unspoken about them – maybe thats what these make them even more rare.

More reading in Photo Verso:
Interview about CVRD

Short bios:
Karin Apollonia Mueller holds a Masters in Film and Photography from The Folkwang School, Essen, Germany. She has received numerous awards, fellowships and her work is exhibited continuously in solo and group shows across the United States and Europe. Her work has been placed in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art, New York; The Whitney Museum, New York; LACMA, Los Angeles, among others. She has published four monographs, Angels in Fall, On Edge, Timbercove and Gate.

Peter Nitsch was born and raised in the Upper Palatinate, Germany. Working with photography and video, he received his BA in communication design from the Department of Design at the Munich University of Applied Sciences (MUAS). In 2020, Nitsch became a lifetime member of the Royal Photographic Society of Thailand. He has published three monographs, Bangkok-Urban Identites, Shophouses and Tango in the Big Mango.

Please note:
The work has roots in a typological approach. Therefore we wanted to make RAW aware of the possibility to still get it at this low entry price until Sunday 25. As it is a duo drop we wanted to suggest to acquire a little series, whether it may be 2, 4 or whatsoever. Having a series in a RAW collection could showcase the character of the collection, as it is stronger when one can see the typological approach rather than only one sole image.

1 Like
#7

GM Guys ! Hope you’re all doing well :wink:

Here’s a quick description of Stephan Gladieu’s series North Korea, don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions :slight_smile:

North Korea by Stephan Gladieu:

Stephan Gladieu began his career as a war photographer in 1989, criss-crossing through, among other places, Europe, Central Asia, China, India and the Middle East. He likes to bear witness to the human condition through the production of portraits as in his series Hereros, Maï Maï, Homo Detritus and North Korea. The latter project was selected to headline the Rencontres d’Arles in 2021.

During 5 trips over 3 years, Stephan Gladieu managed to get closer to the North Korean inhabitants. “When you hear about North Korea in the media, it’s always about its totalitarian regime, the Kim dynasty, nuclear weapons, but you never hear about the people. There are 25 million people in North Korea and no one wonders what their lives are like. It is rather the country itself, its singularity, which attracts attention and fascinates. That is why, for me, it was essential that I focus on people.” Stephan Gladieu

Cheers !

1 Like
#8

I’ve also found a very nice article that goes a bit more in depth :wink:
Here’s the link : “I had the chance to open the doors a little”: Stephan Gladieu photographs the people of North Korea

2 Likes
#9

GM, for anyone new to the space, 96° in the Shade is my genesis NFT collection, launched in August 2021, a retrospective of 100 documentary fashion works made in Miami Beach from 2003-2007. This work is more than a social documentary of the people who worship the sun, it’s a collection of portraits of friends, models, surfers, tourists and locals who were part of my lived experience in Miami Beach during these years. Their beauty has nothing to do with body type or sexuality, I was attracted to their openness to share their experience with me and to invite me in to be a part of theirs. Each of the portraits has a story- some of these people I have gotten to know over the years and photographed multiple times. Some have had children and married, some have moved away to other cities and countries and one, a young woman who appears in several images, Helen, is for many years now married to artist Pharrell Williams. This collection sold out in 3 days, and remains a classic among the “early” photography collections, sitting comfortably in the top 30+ NFT photo collections of all time, is ranked #6 in value brought to collectors (citation Tim Salikhov) - and is owned by many of the top collectors in the photography space. Total sales volume 106 ETH. Floor Price 1 ETH.

1 Like
#10

Better late than never. Due to multiple requests I compiled a list of comments made in the Jotnot form during nomination by the nominators. Next season I will include these immediately.

Robert LeBlanc - Tin Lizards
will remain valuable in the long run . artistic substance . community value and visibility . rhymes with the current RAW collection
A very strong new NFT-native project by a proven photographer in partnership with 96 Studio. The 2.5 Ξ price warrants 4 1/1 NFTs from the work and the possibility of participating in the creative process along with the project’s only 12 collectors. A chance to signal value in new projects instead of just buying after the fact!

Jacob Bijani and Noah Kalina - Chicken Photos
artistic substance . fun project
Fun, crypto native project by renowned artists.

Carolyn Drake - Knit Club
social impact . artistic substance . financial appreciation potential . rhymes with the current RAW collection
Brave, thoughtful, intimate, and troubling, Knit Club is an intriguing look at southern femininity and motherhood, through several years of work with a group of woman in Mississippi.
Carolyn Drake is a Magnum photographer reimagining dominant historical narratives. She has received a Guggenheim fellowship, the Anamorphosis Prize book prize, the Lange Taylor prize, a Fulbright fellowship, and the Henri Cartier Bresson Award, amongst others – she is well established and her work has been exhibited widely (SFMOMA, Yancey Richardson Gallery, MoCP Chicago…)

Serap Gorunme - True Darkness
artistic substance . social impact . will remain valuable in the long run
Serap’s works are so unique and touching. Every work is a piece of poem.

Barry Sutton - 96 degrees in the shade.
artistic substance . financial appreciation potential . community value and visibility . will remain valuable in the long run
This collection embodies the early success of bringing a collection of photographs to the blockchain.
Barry Sutton is an amazing artist/photographer and DAO member and what he and this collection did for the success of photography as NFTs in 2021 is indispensable. In short: this is a historic collection by an OG that needs to be represented in the RAW DAO.

Carolyn Drake and Andres Gonzalez - Ficciones
artistic substance
Carolyn Drake is a great documentary photographer. Her style changed from very classical long time reportage (with an amazing eye for framing) towards a more “conceptual” approach. She won the HCB prize in 2021 and she is now I think part of Magnum Agency.

Aleksandra - Sunshine Nudity
financial appreciation potential . artistic substance . will remain valuable in the long run
A good long term value due to the artist visibility.

Peter Nitsch & Karin Apollonia Müller - Covered Cars
artistic substance . community value and visibility
Great concept and execution.

Stephan Gladieu - North Korea
financial appreciation potential . social impact . will remain valuable in the long run . artistic substance . rhymes with the current RAW collection
Just great photography giving an insight in how the North Korea would like to present its citizens to the world. Though somewhere in the images you can sense something of how North Koreans actually live.
Stephan Gladieu began his career as a war photographer in 1989. During 5 trips over 3 years, Stephan Gladieu managed to get closer to the North Korean inhabitants.
“When you hear about North Korea in the media, it’s always about its totalitarian regime, the Kim dynasty, nuclear weapons, but you never hear about the people. There are 25 million people in North Korea and no one wonders what their lives are like. It is rather the country itself, its singularity, which attracts attention and fascinates. That is why, for me, it was essential that I focus on people.” - Stephan Gladieu

Alex Bartsch - Covers
community value and visibility . rhymes with the current RAW collection . will remain valuable in the long run . artistic substance
This project seems to me a great example of how photography is social document that can connect different moments of our history. Music and photography have grown up together as digital mediums and as art mass art forms. This “archeological” project is beautiful in it´s esthetic execution and fun in its connections between past and present. A musical “before and after”, something that photography excels at.