at the silkscreen cinema

photographs from 'camera obscura' by graham ward
viewpoint gallery, 1272 barrington street, halifax ns, through august 29

i finally went to that photography exhibit

i've been wondering about all week

 &

was entranced by graham ward's cyanotype prints.

i like the equal sense of time and timelessness about his glass-plate negatives,

"Self-taught in the art of these old processes, I've learned that producing these images cannot be rushed and that the production of a print takes time."

 ward makes his own light-sensitive emulsion, builds his own cameras and his artwork feels like a

lesson in history and the innovation of nostalgia.

 i want summer camp and apple orchards at twilight.

they remind me of joseph cornell's subconscious,  of a secret life in image, 

all the places you & i will never meet.

the here and now is becoming impossible, 

but our meandering tethers us magnificently in

  this moment.

dreamed of

quaint toy like bird

wings

opening like clamshell

joseph cornell's dreams

 the most beautiful bodies are like transparent glass.

the most powerful flames like water washing the tired feet of travelers.

the greenest trees like lead blooming in the thick of the night.

czeslaw milosz, hymn