Exhibition Follow-Up

Portugal Visto Por Um Estrangeiro - Images by Michael Barrientos

I had another exhibition opening last night. It is sponsored by the Portuguese Consulate and is a collection of photographs I made during my time living in that country. The theme is "Portugal through the Eyes of a Foreigner," and is heavy on scenic and travel pictures. Although I did a first broad edit, the real choice was made by the Consul General in the end which I had no real problem with. I frankly was exhausted from the whirlwind of my major project exhibition, the major project presentation and the critical analysis.

The Consul had expressed interest in doing a show and when she found out about my Vanishing Coast exhibition, she put it on overdrive because she wanted to ride off the wave of that momentum. I frankly thought it was a bit odd and overkill of my name. She was persistent. I did much of the work (meetings, editing, printing) and as I was in the heat of the major project it was a distraction and made things difficult and stressful.

My experience in both was very different. In this one I did not have as much control as in my personal exhibition which has a lot to do with money since they paid for everything. In essence the idea was that they would be promoting tourism, educating people and celebrating their country. I much preferred my first exhibition because it was more powerful, had much better images and in the end the decisions were all mine.

After my initial proposition faded away which included photographs of traditional Portuguese activities like bullfighting and was heavy on religious subject matter, I was not as passionate about it. They wanted to show Portugal and its people as a modern European nation and did not like the types of images I preferred. Still, it was fascinating and a good learning experience although not quite as intense as the major project.

Since today is our the final day of our final term, I'm excited in completing the course but a bit melancholy since I have enjoyed it and have made good friends. More than anything I have grown. I thank all of our seminar speakers, tutors, and LCC professors, and especially thanks to Paul Lowe for steering us through the program.

I was not involved in the poster or program designs and much preferred my major project materials.

Exhibition Program

This is my exhibition program. I uploaded a PDF version of the document to Issuu (I website I think is great and has a lot of potential). We are selling the 30-page booklet at the exhibition for a nominal fee and it is doing well. With a combination of print sales and the program, hopefully I can at least break even.

I'm now planning a closing party-an idea that I got from a Wimba Arms discussion. I'm going to keep it a lot simpler and more casual than the opening, and am asking one of my subjects (a capoeira group) to perform there. Of course, I plan on paying them. Yesterday, I did another interview in Portuguese. This time it was for television. It went okay, but they just popped in without any warning yesterday morning when I was looking pretty ragged in jeans and a t-shirt. It ran yesterday evening on a weekend cultural show. I guess my whirlwind visit to press offices last month worked.

Exhibition Photographs

EXHIBIT OPEN

Tonight I finally had my opening. It was an incredibly long day starting with my framers who took it to the last minutes to finally get things right. I had to finally be the agressive American and went in full of attitude and amazingly it worked and the shop closed with all of the front desk people helping to complete the matting and framing of my pictures. It was much more stressful and energy-draining than it should've been, but it got done leaving enough time to hang the show for the evening opening reception.

My handymen did a great job of getting the frames put up. Melissa (my assistant) and my wife helped me arrange all of the photos in linear order for them to be hung. We then put up all of the caption information that I printed on glossy photo paper and used double-sided tape to stick to the wall--it looked good. For every region of the Marginal, I posted a summary of the area, its characteristics and problems. I also put my 3-dimensional map, a miniature replica of the Marginal made by a Mozambican folk artist, on display on the gallery floor. And finally, I had my recorded sound which I mixed into 30-minutes of various songs, prayers and music playing through my iPod on to portable speakers.

The attendance was good with a steady flow of people through the night. The staff I hired (two handymen, bartender, gallerista, waitress, and security guard) worked wonderfully. My worst problems were the Portuguese Consul General and her friend knocking down a barrier which they were leaning against and a small group of gate crashers who were filling coke cans full of wine and wrapping food in napkins and sticking them into their bags.

It went well. The experience was new to me. It was fulfulling having people compliment me and then be eager to talk about my experiences photographing various groups, about my project or substantive topics which seemed more sincere than someone just superficially saying they liked my pretty pictures. I appreciated that a number of people actually saw the purpose of my project and came out actually saying they learned about Maputo's coastal erosion. Another was about captions. Although I liked seeing people studying and reacting to my photographs but also reading my captions.

All in all it was a huge relief to get this thing off the ground and up and running. It took way more work than I would ever have imagined. I'll be stopping by the exhibit daily over the next couple of weeks to make sure all's well and chat with my gallerista. There was plenty of left over wine, so now I have to plan a closing party.

One sad note is that my Canon G10 –which I loved– is MIA and a casualty of a day when there were lots of bodies in the gallery who could have casually picked it up and I was a bit dazed and confused. Maybe I'll find someone selling it on the street.

Countdown

There are only a few days until my exhibition, and this morning I discovered it's going to rain heavily on Saturday, my opening day. Besides decreasing attendance, it will make things messy, but I have to plan to try to make is smooth as possible.

Besides the bigger chores like having photos printed and framed, there are a lot of details I overlooked. I'm still putting together sound (editing and mixing it on Garage Band). I also have to make sure the printers are on time for the exhibition programs. Some things I've taken upon myself to make the gallery more pleasant. For instance, now with the rain, I'm going to have to get some mats, throw rugs, and make sure to have extra towels on hand because here you just never know what kind of crazy things might happen with a lot of rain.

I've been making final preparations the past few days. I've sent out invitations and reminders aimed mostly at the expat and diplomatic community. I printed formal invitations and am going to make a final run through to hang up more posters and personally take invitations to select people. I had my summary printed and am finishing captions, sales lists and title cards. I bought and assembled hanging supplies like fishing line, adhesive velcro, hooks and various glues and sticky things.

Odds and ends that are on my list for the opening are items like wood spray (for fixtures) and glass cleaner. But bigger things on my checklist include the food and beverages: wine, juice, coke, water, food (I made it myself: small empanadas (meat pies), cheese, crackers, spiced almonds, and a vegetable tray with dip), nice plastic cups, napkins, tablecloths, folding table, purified ice and an ice chest, and garbage bags. I hired a bartender, waitress, gallery attendant (gallerista), a security guard and a couple of guys to hang the show.

Other little things I've done at the suggestion of Melissa, my assistant, are getting a register or guest book, putting together a price list for anybody who might want to purchase a print, getting a business card holder for my cards, and a cup of sharpened pencils. Pledge, wood cleaner, has to be found to tidy up the stands which will hold the three-dimensional map of the Marginal I had an artisan make.

Today, I have to go back to my framer and pressure them a bit. A thing that drives Americans here crazy (and just plain confuses Scandinavians) is the lack of promptness. Last week I was told that my frames would be finished this past Saturday. When I went to pick them up yesterday, they weren't done. Unfortunately it is to be expected, and I prepared for this cultural laxness so I wouldn't be completely out of luck on Friday when we hang the show. Such is life in Mozambique.

Exhibition Drama

I met with a friend of mine from AMF (Mozambican Photography Association) to protest my being bumped. After presenting my case, it was obvious that it was some funny business going on that more than likely involves money and payoffs. While in the scheme of things, it's small potatoes, it was a big deal to me. Despite having all of the evidence, saved e-mails, text messages and other documentation that showed that my gallery booking was agreed upon, I was stuck. The other venues that I was interested in as alternates were booked, and I would not want to stoop to one of the smaller galleries.

In the end, I was only able to negotiate 2 extra days. My new exhibition dates are 21 November – 2 December. We're working on the poster and the program. Melissa is a wonderful designer and has been great to work with. We've spent the last few days trying to finish it and send them out to print. I'm finishing my summary and biography. A draft of the poster can be seen above.

This has been much more of an adventure than I anticipated: more work, pressure and stress than I imagined. I gave a lecture this evening about picture stories and photo essays, and showed my project. It was nice to simply talk about the pictures while seeing them projected big without thinking about the events of the past week.

Ugly Twist in my Exhibit

I was screwed over for the second time in my nearly year-long quest to get my exhibition up and running. I got a text message from one of the men who run the Mozambican Photography Association telling me that my agreed exhibition time has been cut. Strangely enough, I was working with Melissa, the friend assisting me, designing the program for the show and doing the cover information which included the dates, location and show title. It made me more angry than I can express and almost seemed a bit surreal.

Living in Mozambique, you learn to live with corrupt police, shady business practice, non-existent customer service, uncourteous drivers, potholes, random public urination but you don't have to like it. This is the second time this has happened to me. Originally, I had been trying to have my exhibition at the French Mozambican Cultural Center which is the best venue in Maputo. It was not a pleasant experience since they offered me a commission in June only three weeks before the date they wanted me to exhibit. I told them no. After my rejection-which they were unhappy with because June is Mozambican environmental awareness month (they have one, really) and they thought my show would work well then, they eventually moved on. I was told that we would do it in the time I originally wanted, early November.

I left it at that feeling very good with my meeting at the center. Maria Elisa, the exhibit coordinator, assured me that I was as good as gold and would have my spot. When I returned from my three months away, that changed. She said I would have to share the space with another photographer. I refused. She later gave me a time in March, 2010. I refused. I was upset and disappointed with that considering the process to get the space last February.

After that I went to the Mozambican Photography Association. It went very easily and quickly considering the time and hoops I had to jump through at the French Cultural Center. I am friends, or so I thought, with the main people in charge there which gave me no reason at all that there might be a problem.

Lest than a month before my show, they alerted me that my time would be 21 – 30 November rather than the originally agreed upon 8 – 28 November. I am losing a week, plus that falls on Thanksgiving week which is a big American holiday time when many American expats and their families leave town. But, I have gotten sponsors who think the show will be two weeks. I have to run it by them since they are giving me there money to be associated with it. Perhaps it's not the end of the world, but having two weeks has been important to me from the beginning and losing one matters. More than that, the ease of backing out of agreements is astounding.

Today, I'm going to weigh my options which isn't a lot. I can either pay much more money at the Fortaleza, an old fort downtown that is sometimes used for event and exhibitions (World Press Photo has their exhibit there right now) or a couple of other lesser venues. It is awful to scramble so late in the game. It will also be a lot more expensive.

This is not fun.

Post-Tutorial Major Project Blues

Vanishing Coast - Images by Michael Barrientos

After our group tutorial with Mr. Easterby, I took his very simple advice in my editing dilemma: "make prints." It was a simple idea that I practiced daily for years, but one that somehow forgot all this time in computerland. I made small prints of my project and have been laying them out in various layouts or in my gallery set-up. I've been able to eliminate quite a few and clarify what I want to say.

Two aspect of this process that have been difficult beyond the several pending deadlines I have (printing, catalogue printing, and our final deadlines for the major project) are editing with individuals getting different verdicts and the absence of many people to work with in making a final decision. In my newspaper years, when I was presenting my own work or projects as a photographer, I ran it by several people in both group editing sessions or intimate one-on-one situations. As it went up the line different people got to hear the pitch and see the work. It sharpened you. As an editor, much the same type of situation existed with me as the advocate taking the work down the line.

This lack of layers of editors has been something in my process that has been a struggle. As I've noted before on several occassions, I'm not the greatest editor of my own work.

I'm still milling these picture over and 'living with them a while' even though I'm "sick of them" as John so rightly put it. I have to produce an exhibition catalogue and a poster for printing this week and start having my actual prints made by a printer in South Africa. I'm feeling more confident in what I've narrowed down to.

In my exhibition, I plan to display my photos in a linear fashion by going in geographical order in the areas of the 10 kilometer strip of coast it was taken. Last month, I hired folk artists to build a 3-dimensional map of the Marginal which I will display along with my photos in order to give viewers an idea of where various activities take place. I also plan to run a loop of recorded sound that I have recorded.

Budget

Click to Enlarge. It seems everyone was interested in how much I was paying for my show during our Wimba Arms meeting on Monday night (I'm still working on getting sponsors, so hopefully nothing), however, here's my budget. Melissa, the friend who is assisting me, actually formatted this pretty budget, and I've been sending out as part of my package to potential sponsors because they all want to know these details. As far as sponsors, I have one and two more seem like they're going to help: Standard Bank will pay for my prints and matting (if it goes through), and SAB Miller will provide beverages (beer) if that works out. As much as it is, it's still much cheaper than it would be in the UK or US, but in all it's a give and take.

Back in Mozambique

Last week, I finally came back to Mozambique after being abruptly plucked out of the country and my life with my crazy heart situation. It was strange not being allowed to return home and in limbo for a while wondering whether or not I would get medical clearance to come back.

It's taken some time and stress to get back into the swing of daily life again particularly with my little boys going to different schools on different schedule which means I have also begun a life as a taxi driver. But more than anything, I have been consumed with getting my final project exhibition up and going. It's been somewhat stressful.

First, the initial venue that I had planned to show at, the Franco Mozambican Cultural Center, and went to back in February with my proposal gave me the Mozambican eye gouge. They had given me a letter accepting my proposal, but wanted me to do the exhibit in June, the national environmental month. I had to turn it down because they notified me three weeks before. It wasn't enough time to get my project together, printed, framed and do adequate promotion and all the other things that go into a show. They initially were a bit annoyed, but I met with the point person in charge of exhibits just before I was sent away, and she assured me that everything was fine and that I would get a space in late October or early November. She lied.

When I got back, I immediately contacted her but the board there had wanted me to show with another photographer or hold off until March, 2010. I turned it down. I spent the time since then trying to secure another space, the Mozambican Photographer Association gallery which I was succeeded in getting. I had to give them my proposal last week and last night I was given the dates of Saturday November 14 – Monday, November 30. It's a tremendous relief.

What I'm doing now is trying to get in gear for this show which involves a bit of money. I've put a chunk of personal cash aside to cover cost but hopefully can get funding. I'm working on sponsorship and have an incredibly organized friend, Melissa, assisting me. I hate going to people to ask for money. It's humbling. So far, I've been in talks with Anadarko, an American oil company with a big presence in Maputo, mcel, the national cellular company, and am aiming at getting one of the two big hotels on the Marginal. It's a new experience. I've applied for and gotten academic grants and fellowships before, but perhaps, this experience will help me sharpen that skill.

I have a list of things to do: edit; plan my presentation; have prints made; mount and matte; prepare all the written information; plan an opening along with food and drink; make promotional items and do the promotion; and hire an attendant and handyman for physically hanging the work. This morning, I'm meeting with artisans I'm hiring to make a 3-D map of the Maputo's coast.

Oddly enough, I've only gone out photographing once since I've been back.

Final Project Exhibition Preparation: Looking Ahead

This afternoon I met with the artistic director at the Franco-Mozambican Center in the baixa, downtown, which is the best location in Maputo for exhibitions. They have art exhibitions, concerts, and dance performances there, so the space is somewhat big and popular. I knew that the major spaces here fill up quickly (they’re already booked for the next six months), so I had wanted to book something as soon as I could.

I prepared an iView slide presentation and made the same pitch I made when I first talked to her over the telephone and went into detail about what I planned to do: exhibit 60 pictures, have ambient sound recorded loop through in one room, and show a short multi-media piece to introduce the issue. As promising as it looks, I’m still not fully in the door and must prepare a press package with a short biography, a synopsis describing the project I’ll be exhibiting, and 5 sample photographs.

Considering the reality of a looming exhibition, my first, I suddenly feel a bit overwhelmed although the date is somewhat far off—I requested 10 days at the end of November. This gives me deadlines to look forward to. Incidentally, when we were first getting under way in the course, I expressed interest in doing an exhibition, and Antrim encouraged me to look into the French cultural center where she once exhibited (not here). Good suggestion.

I met with John Easterby and Lizzie in our group tutorial this afternoon. He had some interesting suggestions about the ways I could print my photographs, pointing out that you can print high quality photographs on almost anything today. He also made me think about framing, matting and actually hanging my pictures. John also suggested a former student's book business called Bob's Books for a self-publishing book printer as an alternative to Blurb. He mentioned that they gave LCC students a discount last year that he would look into getting for us again. There will be a lot of work and thinking to do.