Tulkarem, West Bank, Palestine, 2012
Al Masaara, West Bank, Palestine, 2012
Yet it is in this loneliness that the deepest activities begin. It is here that you discover act without motion, labor that is profound repose, vision in obscurity, and, beyond all desire, a fulfillment whose limits extend to infinity.
—Thomas Merton
DIALOG ABOUT MY ART WITH A FRIEND AND CURATOR
In this ongoing pilgrimage [to Palestine-Israel] of yours, where is the art? (Thanks to Chuck Fager)
In two places, ethics and graphics, which is precisely where art needs to be located.
In the case of ethics, I strive to ground my art in the deepest compassion and wisdom I can muster. This is particularly crucial for my work about the Middle East. Secondly, as much as possible I share experiences with those I photograph, currently mostly Palestinians, going thru checkpoints, blocked by the annexation wall, confronting the Israeli military, etc. Two quotes that might help: the first about my recent work, “You photograph not only with your eyes but with your heart.” (Fares Oda, West Bank American Friends Service Committee staff). And the second from Charlie Parker which I often use with my photo students when they ask me how they can improve their photos—“If you haven’t lived it (life), it won’t come out of your horn.”
Zohar, Negev, Israel, 2012
Cistern evacuation, Jerusalem, 2012
In the case of graphics (perhaps esthetics is a better word), I play with angles, lighting, vantage points, frame, etc, the usual techniques photographers like to concentrate on. I use what I call “wild mind photography,” a term I derived from “wild mind writing” as taught by Natalie Goldberg. No restrictions, no judges, total play and experimentation. For me my must frequent form of this is not using the viewfinder to frame or find the view, but rely on my instincts about what the camera sees. This often results in useless images which I cast away but from time to time produces something I regard to be extraordinary.
Jenin, West Bank, Palestine, 2012
Additionally, the Mediterranean light pervading the Levant captivates me. Light is central to photography. I strive to know it, use it, affect others by how I use it. This also is art.
Bedouin village, Negev, Israel, 2012
How has your art in this project changed over time? Has it?
I struggle to shift from the generic to the specific, from shallow to deep, from diffident to more confident, from personal to universal, and to better use metaphor and synecdoche. Whether I achieve this goal I can’t say.
Where is the spirit in it? How has it affected your life?
My response to the spirit part of this question is in my response to your first query. In addition, I pay homage to my muses and to the endless stream of photographers which constitutes my lineage: my ancestors, my contemporaries (who I refuse to compete with, but feel they are colleagues sharing our passion), and descendants, those I teach thru my formal teaching and my photo examples. Is this spirit? You can decide.
Jenin, West Bank, Palestine, 2012
My art is central to my life. I identify first as a human being, then as a photographer. Quaker, Christian, Buddhist, lover, friend, father, etc. come later. For amplification, if you’re interested please check my artist statement on my website: teeksaphotography.org.
Thanks Friend for your questions. I hope this begins to answer.
Zohar, Negev, Israel, 2012
What most of us must be involved in—whether we teach or write, make films, write films, direct films, play music, act, whatever we do—has to not only make people feel good and inspired and at one with other people around them, but also has to educate a new generation to do this very modest thing: change the world.
― Howard Zinn, Artists in Times of War and Other Essays
LINKS
Slide show: “And you will be carried where you do not wish to go,” a photographic witness & summary (for the moment & as of 2005) of my photography
“And you will be carried where you do not wish to go,” a photographic witness
Part 8 & earlier, added April 2 – May 24, 2010 (click on links to read earlier chapters)
The Palestine-Israel Kaleidoscope, a memoir-part 1
Revised and added January 16, 2010
The Palestine-Israel Kaleidoscope, a memoir-part 2
Revised and added January 21, 2010
As an Artist, How Do I Survive & Thrive?
Revised and added February 15, 2010
Notes on My Quaker Connections in Palestine
Revised and added January 28, 2010
West Coast tour, fall 2012 (September 18 – October 18, Alaska to California)
Great discussion . Thanks for the isnspiration as well!