Notes for a Ritual of Photography Gone Extinct

Victor Sira, in his exhibition catalog/new book Europass, published by his publishing house, bookdummypress, examines a common theme in travel photography. The book is based on a series of trips the Venezuelan artist took in Europe from 2001 to 2006, which coincided with the shift from the ubiquitous use of analog photography and point-and-shoot cameras to the phone as the central apparatus of photography. It is essential to think about the ritual of analog photography and how it was a selective editorial process. There was a price to pay, and the wait time from instant to image production could be weeks, depending on how quickly one dropped off their film and retrieved their drugstore prints. Very rarely was film developed, particularly color film, on the road.

The number of images per roll was between 24 and 36, which is a minimal number of photographs that can be made per roll; thus, it asks the photographer to be selective, unlike our use of phones. Between moments and bad angles is an experience, and though amateur photographers could be flippant with analog photography, there was more ritual, lest the production of images be cast away. In fact, on a shoestring budget, it was necessary to be careful about how one framed and exposed film to achieve the desired results while staying on budget. Pictures, in this sense, were thought of more intensely, and the pursuit of good images was as vital for the hobbyist as it was for the artist or semi-professional. There was also the time between shooting and developing that allowed one to reflect on the images, share what is essential in albums, and share them with friends and family who may not have made the trip. This gave the photographer time to reflect and to rethink what they wanted to share when they thumbed through the return proofs from their negatives.

For the more concerning photographer or artist, the time delay and ritual of developing film would also license how one might think of the material and in what context it might be useful. Artists make images wherever they travel by force of habit. Yet there is often material that one might use as a personal album rather than as potential material for an exhibition or book. There is room for overlap. One can think of the picture of Mary and Robert Frank’s Children in the car in America as a flexible example where this works most brilliantly. I am also thinking about Seiichi Furya and Christine Furuya-Gössler’s relationships and travels together, as found in their more recent books published by Chose Commune. Their last trip to Venice is burned into my memory as both a family documentation and an artistic experience. The Open Road, a book by David Campany, extensively documented the phenomenon of the road trip, and there have been several books about train travel through Europe, in particular a bevy of lesser-known titles about the Trans-Siberian Express. The road/train trip phenomena pair well with photography.

As for Europass and Victor, I came across this work before interviewing him for Nearest Truth and before that found out about his incredible output of dummies, maquettes, and one-off photobooks and book objects. I remain a fan of his production and his overly generous character. He is also deeply knowledgeable about photobooks and the community that finds them a medium in their own right. Our conversation tapped into his background, from Venezuela to New York, and how photography still keeps him interested after decades in book production, with little homage or fanfare. Victor is both passionate and no-nonsense. His journey has been significant, and I jumped at the chance to review this book, continuing my admiration for his practice. Though Europass is technically an exhibition catalog for his recent exhibition in Japan, the book functions as a fully formed photobook with images fromt he series laid out in the first part of the book with his original dummy printed in the back, shedding light on the pictures and his process in combination, but also with a perfect note to explain how his dummies function.

The images within the book are beautiful glimpses into Victor’s travel. There is a feeling of a small camera documentary to the work. I get this sensation in some of Bertien van Manen’s books, and I find it precise here. It illuminates Victor’s journey, allowing one to feel time through the various train stops and the interior of the travel coaches themselves, with a nod to Stephen Shore or Guido Guidi’s snapshots of food or fruit, respectively. There is a little bit of melancholy squeezed in, but frankly, after living two decades in Europe, I begin to feel that it’s just the post-war condition here as decades succumb to change. The years 2001-2006 were also notable for the world at large, with multiple war fronts and the hangover of 9/11 still thick in the air, trying times. I believe Victor was in New York during the attack, so perhaps he carried a bit overseas with him. I know I did.

I feel this is a fantastic book, and I encourage all of you to check out Victor’s photographs and his books. I believe he has an excellent template for the future of production as economies waver and prices soar. You won’t find Victor stopping his output any time soon.

Victor Sira

Europass

Bookdummy Press