What was paradise?

Travelling through the USA these past two weeks down the historic route 66 has been an eye opener too the world that was, the iconic United States of America. Off the main I-40 highway lies a huge refuge of old Cars, Motels and gas stations. This journey has given us the time (Shaun & I) to travel this historic route and its side roads (which we sometimes end up on some evenings and chatting on the roof of the RV under the stars) inch by inch. With that in mind, I have realised that these places where once thriving towns with people commuting in and out of them. In the late 1960's when the I-40 highway was completed, traffic now bypassed alot of these old towns which intern turned the tap on their economic main vein. It seems people packed their suitcases and left immediately, leaving ghost towns behind.

Even in the towns where people still coincide there is a feeling of quietness,
where people once drove now people fly,
where once there was natural resources now there is a hole in the ground.

We have now left the Texas Panhandle and are heading up to Sant Fe' in New Mexico where we will spend the weekend.

Today people trawl this historic route to see the relics of yester year. In my next blog update I will post some more on the people that I have met along the route.


CT 2011

A wheel chair inside a military surplus store in Amarillo Texas.

Jeff showing me his beard which is now half its length, we will see more of him in later blog updates.

On the side of the service road for the Interstate 40 Shaun & I find another abandoned flea market and gas station. 

Yes, An abandoned boat in a corn field. The Texas Pandhandle.

The Historic Route 66 border into New Mexico. 

An old year book (1980) inside an abandoned motel on the Historic Ruote 66. We later met the son of the original owners he keeps everything as original as possible and feels very negatively about selling it all, I like him more when he tells me this. 

This made me imagine a scene in a 1950's post apocalyptic move. 

Shaun fooling around in the abandoned boat we found.

Beauty.

I have been doing a massive recci for a landfill location for the new Frown music video. Shot this while on a site in the South of Johannesburg called 'Waste Giant', problem is, I need a giant Landfill site but this didn't really cut it. Hope I can make it work though. 

CT 2011

Lave by Canedicoda Photographs

I decided to put up all the images from the Canedicoda shoot. I thought they looked better in Black and White. 

Below is what I wrote on the exhibition blog spot last week : 

'Recently I finished a collaborative project for Canedicoda, a hand screen printing specialist I met in Treviso. I collaborated with local friend and photographer Silvia Boschiero (Treviso) who introduced me to Gio from Canedicoda.

We did the shoot and video in the mystical mountain locations close to Vittorio Venetto where Gio from Canedicoda lives.

The project is meant to give a visual representation of a personal emotional response to his creations and the place that he creates them in. When I first met Gio inside his enoviroment, it was  quiet and meditational. I wanted to portray this to the viewer.' 

The Project was a collaboration between Silvia Bosciero and myself.

Ct 2010 

The Circus is in town.

Cycling to Fabrica this morning I noticed that the circus was setting up in town. This little caravan was parked next to it.

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Symmetry on the way to Fabrica

I have been trying to document my life here in Italy more. This is a house that I cycle past everyday on the way to Fabrica. Everything here is so symmetrical, I love it.

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Freaks

I was going through my images from the past couple of months of traveling and came accross two that fitted perfectly together. One was shot in Coney Island, New York City where I went when I got stuck after the Benetton Campaign (Stuck because of the Volcano). I was walking past one of the most famous spots on the promenade when I came accross this group of photographers (rather large fellows too) shooting a girl in front of the shoot the freak sign. I don't know if I was shooting the freaks or if they where shooting the freak but regardless we where all shooting.

The second image was taken on a trip to Paris a couple of months after New York to visit a friend I had met on the Benetton Campaign and one of the winners of the Its My Time competition, Magali Berthon. Its strange because she was with me in Coney Island when I shot the other and I regard her as a muse, how else can I explain the shots. This situation was on a bridge a sweltering day (if I could remember the name of the bridge I would use it), close to the main public library. I thought the two shots worked together because in the next one she was shooting a freak and it needed no signage.

Ct 2010.

The Little Mermaid is away.

In Copenhagen recently I found the immense buying power of China very entertaining. Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has taken the little mermaid to china. The little mermaid is the famous sculpture by Edvard Eriksen, based on the story by famous Danish author, Hans Christian Andersen. Its on every post card and every tourist flocks to see it when coming to Copenhagen. Now it has been replaced by a screen which you can barely see in the daytime. The irony is fantastic.

I have never seen so many disappointed tourists in my life. Talk about a Euphemism for selling out to the Chinese. I love it, at-least the Danes are honest about it, they became the  Scandalous Scandinavians after this moment.

You can see the live feed of the statue in Shanghai at www.mermaidexchange.com 

Ct 2010

Everyone loves or loathes Karaoke

Shot this during a great Karaoke session in Cape Town a couple of weeks ago. Either you love or loathe a cheesy song in front of the big screen, Im indifferent about the subject and it depends how many tequilas I've had before my internal Frank Sinatra emerges.

Enjoy

Ct09

Nike Shot Wins at Cannes 2009

One of my shots which was used in a Nike Women ad has won silver at Cannes Lions this year.

Well done to Ogilvy Johannesburg.

The shot is below.

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