It was only about 5 hours ago that I found out Thomas Hoepker's photo of New Yorkers moments after the 9/11 attacks existed, but I keep going back to it. It's such an odd image. My brother sent me an article from The Guardian about it, and when I first saw it, I just thought it was photoshopped. I mean, look at it. It's insane.
In the article, Walter Sipser (the guy with the sunglasses) says that they were in a complete state of shock, and with that, I can imagine they simply didn't know what to do with themselves. Of course, it's the surroundings that make it so idyllic - the vivid green trees and shrubs, and the beautiful, bright September sky. It's hard to believe that what is happening in the back ground actually did happen, and that it's not just a well photoshopped image. In fact, in some sense, it's one of the best photos of that day. It's stunned disbelief, confusion, routine, and silent panic. I'll probably think some more about it, but would love to hear other thoughts.
The official London 2012 Olympic posters have been unveiled, all of which are by artists, and not designers. A little odd, even in my humble non-designer opinion. They're alright. A couple of them are pretty nice (Hodgkin and Whiteread), but I'd hardly use the word 'inspiring'. They're no where near as awful as the font, for which I'm grateful, but to me, they lack the impact of some past Olympic posters. It's a pity, but it could have been worse.
Anthea Hamilton
Bob and Roberta Smith
Bridget Riley
Chris Ofili
Fiona Banner
Gary Hume
Howard Hodgkin
Martin Creed
Michael Craig-Martin
Rachael Whiteread
Sarah Morris
Tracey Emin
Tracey Emin's attempt reminds me of a Hallmark card, and Sarah Morris' art reminded me of the BBC test card. Maybe that's just me.
Good article about accountability and Twitter here, by Nancy Messieh, entitled (funnily enough), Here's why all Twitter users should tweet with accountabillity and without the delete button.
Nancy talks about - in a nutshell - about how we shouldn't delete tweets/posts we regret, and highlights some examples from Nikon on Facebook and Kenyon Martin. "At the risk of sounding maudlin, part of the very fabric of our society is held together by accountability. You can’t do certain things because of the consequences. If we take away that sense of consequence online then we’re going back to an Internet of anonymous forums and trolling – I’m sure no one wants to be in that place again." She goes on to say, "It’s as simple as asking yourself – when you look at you timeline and conversations on Twitter – “Am I proud of every tweet? Is this how I want to be represented online?”"
Very true - to some extent. I don't believe in deleting tweets or posts which have caused upset, an uproar or any kind of discussion, even - perhaps especially so - if they challenge your point of view. It's cowardly, and in most cases, just makes you look like a bit of a fool. However, I'm certainly not proud of every post and tweet in my feed/timeline. I don't believe in thinking too much before each post and tweet* (of course, one hopes common sense - which Kenyon clearly lacks - will prevent really stupid tweets and posts). I love how similar to real life conversations it all can be, with the possibility of having your mind changed by your friends or your opinions challenged, and in order for it to be so, one needs spontaneity, discussion, and a few screw ups. If we were all so thorough in everything we communicated, life would be pretty dull.
*Of course, for brands etc things are a little different.