a shimmer of possibility

Pittsburg (Man cutting grass), 2004 

from a shimmer of possibility, Paul Graham/steidlMACK

'Perhaps instead of standing by the river bank scooping out water, it's better to immerse yourself in the current, and watch how the river comes up, flows smoothly around your presence, and gently reforms on the other side like you were never there.'

Paul Graham

British photographer Paul Graham, currently shortlisted for the Deutsche Borse Photography prize alongside Emily Jacir, Tod Papageorge and Taryn Simon, commented on his best shot in the Guardian. 

Graham was nominated for a shimmer of possibility inspired by Chekhov's short stories. The work comprises 12 individual books in each volume a story of everyday American life is told in a small sequence of images. At times the quiet narrative breaks unexpectedly into a sublime moment - such as the moment above when Graham describes 'the sun burst through, and the rain came down, and every drop was illuminated.'

'A 'great shot' is the antithesis of what this work is about. It's about appreciating the flow of the moment, the rhythm and currents and the eddies of life, rather than neatly packaging the world into perfectly formed little jewels.'

I am interested in Graham's portrayal of the mundane moments of life that seem 'worthless' but, as he says, 'they form and shape our lives'.

A recent Q&A with Paul Graham published on PDN offers some provocative thoughts on documentary photography and how it is perceived in the art world. I have taken one quote, see below, for the full article follow the link above.

'My point is simply that the art world is traditionally attuned to perceiving what the artist "created", which in photography usually means that they pick up more on work with a synthetic quality - constructed scenes, Tableaux Vivants, staged pieces - these fit neater into this expectation and fit into the broader art world model of "what artists do" much more easily. However, the great photography which operates at the core of the medium - from Frank to Eggleston to Shore to Winogrand - doesn't fit that model, as it is taken from life directly, unscripted and unforced. That creates problems and is often misunderstood or marginalized as 'documentary or 'observational', Now nobody in their right mind can deny the power of what Frank did, or the best of Eggleston, or Robert Adams, but sadly there's a lot of folks that don't get it, and prefer the traditional model.

Having said that .... there's a lot of blame to lay in the photography community itself, for the plain dumbness and lack of discrimination that burdens the medium. We should fight that and be smarter and more discriminating in what we do, say and promote. It's an incredible medium, alive and direct, but we need to engage our hearts and minds in aspiring to make truly great work, that puts any doubts beyond reach.'

Paul Graham