Hi Everyone:
I just finished F. Jack Hurley's book, Portrait of a Decade: Roy Stryker
and the Development of Documentary Photography in the Thirties. Many of you
have probably read this, but if not, you should be able to find it in your
local library or secure a used copy via bookfinder or amazon.
At 175 pages, the book provides a nice broad look at Roy Stryker's life, his
years studying and teaching economics, his working relationship with Rexford
Tugwell, and, of course, his leadership at the Farm Security Administration
(FSA). All fascinating stuff! You won't be disappointed--I promise!
The book has inspired an idea that might be of interest to PDML list
members. In 1936, Stryker began to broaden the FSA projects to include
photographic documentation or rural, small-town, and urban life (as opposed
to poverty in agricultural communities). According to Hurley, Stryker used
questions to give focused direction and purpose to the photographers' field
work--to illustrate: "What do people do at home in the evenings? Do the
activities in a small town differ from those in a large city? How do people
dress for church? Where do people meet? Do beer halls and pool halls take
the place of country clubs for the poor? [and even broader questions] What
are the key economic factors in the existence of a small town? The
railroad? The highway? How can these be represented visually? Has anyone
ever taken a really good series of pictures of a filling station, showing
its relationship to the restless, shifting American population? What do
railroad stations look like? How do they relate to small-town life?" (98)
When I first read the above, I thought it might be interesting if PDML
photogs worked in self-selected groups and pursued similar questions but
with an international scope. For example, What do people from selected
countries do at home in the evenings? How do people from selected countries
dress for religious services? What are the key economic factors in selected
small towns around the world? What do back yard gardens look like in
selected countries? What are the popular tourist sites in selected
countries? How does the architecture differ in selected countries? What
does the native flora & fauna look like in selected countries? What do gas
stations look like in selected countries? (see Tim Hetherington's study on
Arab gas stations--fascinating stuff) What types of dance classes are
offered in selected countries? How do weddings differ in selected
countries? What kinds of pets do people have in selected countries? How has
the landscape changed in selected countries? and so-on and so-on. The
possibilities are endless!
A project like this would give those who are interested a chance to
collaborate with other photographers from different countries, work on a
question together, post the final international photographic study in a
gallery, and share with the PDML list, of course. I see this as an
*anybody-who-wants-to" and *in-your-own-time* kind of project. I also see
it as a project that takes advantage of PDML's international character,
which is rich and interesting. I also envision a hint of text to accompany
each photograph in the gallery--think of the old Life magazine.
Any interest?
Cheers, Christine
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