Perch fishing in the fog, Ocean Beach SF
Matte Print by Greta Snider
2021
Paper is 8"x10"
Image is 5 7/8" x 9"
Signed and dated by the artist
Artist statement: "My current photo project is prompted by concerns of climate change, landscape, shorelines, and contemplative space. I am shooting at the bay shore and at Ocean Beach, focusing mostly on the solitary experiences of thinking and fishing that our neighbors have, at the place where water meets land. It is such a rich hypercenter - people find restoration and contemplation here, even among the cargo ships and relic cranes. It is public space, in a city and economy increasingly subject to privatization. The fragility of both – the ecosystem and public access - is emblematic of the relationship of climate change to economic justice. I hope the project invites people to think about that.
These photos were made with a process called “soaked film.” In this practice, one shoots a roll of still film, and before developing the images, tosses the cartridge into a pre-development soak – a self-designed solution made from detergents or food mixtures or from materials local to the images. The film is later developed in the standard manner, and the surprise (or heartbreak) of the soaking effects is discovered upon scanning or printing. Mostly random, with a dash of reasonable expectation, resulting images can be cosmic joy…epic failure! But of course it wouldn’t be experimental photography without risk."