Connect the dots

The air was abuzz. People milled about looking at the exhibit, drawing on their imagination to decode Alec Soth's photos. They created their own stories behind the moments he has captured. They conversed with the subjects in the photographs, naming them, conjuring their past and predicting their future. Amongst the crowd were murmurs such as, “Most exciting photo show ever to come to Syracuse!”, “A miracle is upon us,” and the less informed, but equally accurate, “He’s so cute!” 

At 6:30 p.m. Friday night, art lovers, photographers and students poured into the lobby of the Everson Museum of Art and were greeted by a sign proclaiming: Alec Soth - Sold Out.

Soth was the keynote speaker at the Society for Photographic Education (SPE) Conference, orchestrated by Syracuse University in partnership with Light Work. The conference focused on publishing and the ways in which traditional book publishing is changing due to the increasing popularity of self-publication and online publication.

Soth was introduced by Doug DuBois, an associate professor of Art Photography at the Visual and Performing Arts School at SU, and recipient of the honored educator award. 

Soth, a native of Minneapolis, Minn., stepped into the limelight with the publication of his book, "Sleeping by the Mississippi," in 2004. The book consists of a narrative collection of pictures he compiled on a road trip down the Misissippi. He self-published 25 copies of the book, which caught the eye of peers, critics and publishers alike. Since then, the road trip hasn’t stopped.

Soth’s lecture, “The Narrative Photobooth and the Democratic Jungle,” dealt with narrative arc and storytelling through images. The democratic jungle, he said, is populated with iPhones, Google Images and bloggers. Soth's inspiration comes from Robert Frank, one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century, and author of the seminal work, “The Americans”. Soth opened with a quote by Frank.

“If all moments are recorded, then nothing is beautiful and maybe photography isn't an art anymore. Maybe it never was.”

Soth's outlook, however, is less bleak.

“The narrative machete is the way through the democratic jungle," he continued. "You need a beginning, a middle and an end.”

Soth believes in engaging the viewer on a deeper level. He holds that when looking through a photo book, the viewer must become the protagonist.

Commenting on his current exhibit, he said, “I just wanted to follow the line and connect the dots - link one picture to another like a website link.”

Addressing the decline in photo book publishing, Soth identified the issue as the quality of photos being published.

“A problem I have with so much photography is that it’s just a collection of pictures,” he said, adding that books are the most powerful narrative vehicle in photography. The photographer, however, must connect the dots and tell a story through his work.

Soth’s lecture was received with thunderous applause.

“It was amazing,” said Groana Melendez, an SU alum who currently works in New York City. “I love how accessible he seemed and how humble he was.”

The conference continues this weekend with panel discussions, image workshops and a closing lecture by contemporary American photographer, John Gossage.

Many of the events are being streamed live on the web. More information can be found at http://lightwork.org/blog/.

Photo: Aasimah Navlakhi