BOOK | The 'Record-Making' Photobook 'Windows Mirrors Tabletops'
BOOK: Event Held with Takashi Homma as Guest
Art Book by American Artist Lucas Blalock
Windows Mirrors Tabletops
The art book "Windows Mirrors Tabletops" by Lucas Blalock, an artist based in Los Angeles, is now available in Japan. To commemorate the start of sales in Japan, a lecture and signing event will be held on February 11 (Tuesday, holiday) at VACANT in Harajuku.
Text by YANAKA Tomomi
Works that "become records," revealing traces of digital manipulation
Lucas Blalock was born in North Carolina, USA, in 1978. He is an artist who has earned a Master of Fine Arts from UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) and is actively engaged in his work.
In his art book "Windows Mirrors Tabletops," published by a British publisher late last year, works appear one after another, revealing traces of digital manipulation left in a seemingly haphazard manner.
In an era where digital photo retouching is commonplace for both the media and the general public, Blalock asks, "What does it mean to take photographs in a digitally-native environment?" Normally, retouching targets people or landscapes, and the processing aims to be as "transparent" as possible. However, in Blalock's work, the process of creating these photographs is deliberately made "opaque."
Blalock deliberately photographs elements usually considered "behind the scenes," such as the studio, camera, and digital processing tools, making them visible. His photographs, created by scanning analog large-format prints, digitally manipulating them, and then reprinting them, not only "record" something but also become a "record" of the artist's own act of creation, and even the tools and conditions under which the photographs were produced.
In the lecture based on this art book, Blalock will introduce the secrets behind his creation process and his studio through a slideshow and movie. Photographer Takashi Homma will also be invited as a guest for a mini-talk.
"Windows Mirrors Tabletops," which took 18 months to shoot and complete. We invite you to explore the traces of Blalock's thought process, born from dissonance and displacement, through the art book and lecture.
Windows Mirrors Tabletops
Artist: Lucas Blalock
Publisher: Morel
Specifications: Hardcover / 238 pages, 200 x 250 mm, color,
Includes a conversation with David Company (separate booklet)
Edition: Limited to 1000 copies
Price: 7,350 yen (Special event price of 6,500 yen during the lecture)
Lecture & Signing Event
Date: February 11 (Tuesday, holiday)
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM (Signing session from 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM)
Venue: VACANT, 2F
3-20-13 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Speaker: Lucas Blalock
Guest: Takashi Homma
Reservation Method: VACANT official website
Apply via http://www.vacant.vc/d/47
Admission Fee: 1,000 yen