The {Hopefully} Never Ending Story of Polaroid

So as most of us have heard Polaroid is dying in a major way, being that headquarters announced back in February they would be closing factories in Massachusetts, Mexico & The Netherlands and end the production of Instant Film.

However from that day many communities online have sprouted from the darkness to both celebrate & attempt to continue the wonderful legacy that is Polaroid. So today we thought we might point point out one of those communities who seem to be doing an awful lot to fight this fight while also spotlighting one of our favorite places to buy polaroid stuff & one of our favorite books with polaroids, so here we go;


First off, We're sure you have seen this site being bounced around the information superhighway before but if not it's appropriately called Save Polaroid. It tends to be more blog or ongoing newsletter with updates from the battle lines & love letters to polaroid but acts as wonderful headquarters for all your polaroid needs.


Next up is the Polaroid superstore of Austria, we know sounds strange & magical and is both. It's proper name is Unsaleable and we discovered this fine little shop a while pack when looking for hard to find and dead stock film, in addition they carry nifty cameras and awesome accessories. However watch the price tags, they tend to be high & can cause confusion as things are marked in $'s,£'s and €'s.


Lastly it seems everyone has been touched or exposed to the joys of making polaroids but like anything some people just do it better than others. Also it seems a bit of a trend these days to see polaroid books/zines lined on the selves of our favorite culture shops so we wanted to throw it back to a master and a classic book.

The master, Walker Evans; the book, Polaroids. Turns out Polaroid actually gave him unlimited stock of film, hence 2,500 polaroids were taken down to 300 to create this book. If you have not had a chance to check it out do yourself a favor and find it, its real good.

With that we leave you with a quote by Mr. Evans and his thoughts on Polaroid:
"Nobody should touch a Polaroid until he's over sixty," Evans once said. It was only, he implied, after years of work and struggle and experimentation, years of developing one's judgment and vision, that the instrument could be pushed to its full, revelatory potential.

Keep Fighting & Remain Instant,
Nutopia

Nutopia 1; On Paper & In Print!

Hot off the presses of Blurb.com and fresh from the back of the UPS truck; Without further ado we would like to present Nutopia Magazine Issue 1 in printed form.

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We have been working hard to collect images, laying out spreads and mastering the software of blurb for the past month in an effort to materialize our digital magazine. And we must say, all those tiny binary ones & zeros from the internet turned into quite a nice little printed piece.

We must thank Andreas, Grace & Steven for getting us their high quality images in a timely manor to allow us to create this. If anyone else has been in the magazine and has not got us their high resolution images please contact us so we can continue on this experiment, we shall see where it leads us.
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On that note, Enjoy a preview of Nutopia 1 and all it has to offer:
(Apologies for the light reflection on the spreads, we didn't want to crush our first pristine copy)

Burt Glinn {1925 - 2008}

"I think that what you've got to do is discover the essential truth of the situation, and have a point of view about it."

We at the forum would like to show our respects to a legendary & defining Magnum photographer, Burt Glinn who passed on April 9th. Glinn was one of the first americans to join the illustrious international photo co-op that is Magnum and later severed as president twice. He was well know for his war time photographs which included The Sinai War & Fidel Casto's Cuban takeover. However he also graced the pages of such magazines as Esquire, Fortune, Life & Paris-Match with reportage style images of the famous & powerful. He was truly a remarkable man who helped define a remarkable & iconic photographic institution.

His Legacy:
{Images via Magnum}

Dude of The Day: George Rousse

This dude is french, clever, anamorphic and rad & his work will blow your socks off.
Have a look and see for yourself.









Now try and figure out how he does it;
The All Knowing
George Rousse & The Durham Project

Special Thanks
To A Parisian Friend for This Great Find

On that note,
Au revoir et bonsoir
Le Forum De Nutopia

Dave Eggers Curates Lots of Things Like This

This one looks rad people, it flew a bit under the radar somehow, perhaps we forgot to turn it on or Mr. Mcginley & company jammed it all up . However this super talented writer, editor, publisher, part-time designer, local hero and from what we understand all around good guy turns curator this month at ApexArt to present a few choice drawings by some famous "friends".


Just a few of the "friends" who got out (or have got out) their pencils, pens & sketch pads include; Jean-Michel Basquiat, Leonard Cohen, R. Crumb, Marcel Duchamp, David Shrigley, Ralph Steadman and Kurt Vonnegut. As you may have guessed this is not your typical "art exhibition" as some of the names above might "shock & awe" you.


However we can assure if you are not shocked and awed into submission you will at least have a laugh or two perusing the art work. It's pretty much a given (the laughs) and also happens to be rule #3 for selected work; A sense of humor, incase you are wondering the other strict criteria; #1. An image & #2. Some words. We think that paints a pretty clear image of what to expect from these works.

Unfortunately this fine exhibition has already seen it's open night, last night in fact so scenesters need not apply. However if you are interested in actually checking out some of the drawings the show runs until May 10th & here is all the information you will need:

ApexArt
291 Church Street (B/W Walker & White)
Tue - Sat
11am - 6pm
Always Free

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Also Eggers get a bit more press this week in an NYTimes article about some place called Sanfrooklyn? We guess all the cool kids like Eggers are "commuting" between the two creative capitols of the coasts and NYT decided to give it a snazzy tagline & all. They selected "Sisters in Idiosyncrasy" for theirs, some of us just call these places home.


Anyhow it provides an interesting read & thoughts on the whole gentrification/social responsibility issue, we are just not sure on a few bits in it. Mainly worrying are "Home Buying for Hipsters" & "D.I.Y. can mean everything from wearing locally designed T-shirts to attending concerts staged in someone's warehouse apartment, to ridding a bike to work."

While we may not write for the NYT we are pretty sure buying a local T-shirt doesn't constitute "doing it yourself" unless you are talking about taking out your credit card. Also what exactly is a warehouse apartment? and biking to work, D.I.Y? that just seems a bit of a stretch. Anyhow it seems all too unavoidable, next stop on the bi-coastal L train San Brookciscolyn.

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On that note; Good Luck to all at McGinley-mania tonight, we hope to see some familiar faces in the scene.

Don't get caught with egg on your face,
TNF

Ryan McGinley + 16 Fit Models + 3 Assistants + 4,000 Rolls of Film = The Youth of America Running Naked Throughout The Team Gallery

We're pretty sure there is at least one T4, a half dozen fireworks & a smoke machine in that equation as well.




Anyhow if you have not got it by now, Team Gallery Host Ryan McGinley's "I Know Where The Summer Goes" opening tomorrow night at 6pm.

The title sources from an early b-side by Belle & Sebastian but the work is very McGinley-esk and will feature an extreme edit from 150,000 images down to under 50. As we have come to expect with McGinley the work & models are visually beautiful and hold a brilliant snapshot style but we must ask, haven't we seen this before? It seems McGinley's new toys, the smoke & sparks have produced the most magical, interesting & challenging images of the lot, we look forward to see more of it.

Anyhow as anything to do with the McGinley's of the world it's guaranteed to push maximum capacity way over the allotted number so we suggest you get there early.

Team Gallery
83 Grand Street
Thursday April 3rd, 6-8PM

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On another McGinley/Baber note, Emma Reeves & Aaron Rose recently curated a show about what-else, American Youth at The Journal Gallery in Williamsburg. It's presented by Nike and features work from Barber, Marcopoulos, Richardson, Templeton & many others. A few of us check out the opening last Thursday and it was a bit of a zoo. Also it seems no one has any information on how long the show is up for so visit at your own risk!


The Journal Gallery
168 North 1st Street

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Stay Youthful.
NutopiA

Nutopia 6

It's rainy, it's semi-cold and it's finally April which means yet another installment of Nutopia Magazine.
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This time round we bring you issue number 6 featuring the work of:
Eric Ruby
Pari Dukovic
&
Chris Felber

We hit the streets this month for the backdrop of our design, we hope you like.
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On another note; We have begun to look for new content for the coming months.
Please if you have any new work or know of anyone who might fit in please contact us.
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Respect,
The Nutopians

Ari Marcopoulos at Dashwood Books

Apologizes all for the lack of posts in the past few weeks, we at the fourm have been very busy putting together next months magazine & ticking off a few well needed vacation days. Anyhow we are back and ready to keep you informed/excited/motivated & whatever else we do for you.

Over this little break we discovered a gem of a bookshop just around the studio called Dashwood Books. It houses quite a collection of rare & out of print photography books as well as the current contemporary titles. However the beauty is they only carry photography books & their helpful and friendly staff are much more resourceful than those of Barnes & Noble or the likes. We highly recommend a visit & taking out a loan beforehand as it is not cheap.


As well as offering one of the best selections of photo books in Manhattan Dashwood also puts on book signings. Next Thursday, April 3rd at 6pm Ari Marcopoulos will be signing his new book "The Chance is Higher". Those not familiar with Marcopoulos will be immediately struck by the lo-fi aesthetic a good deal of his images & books have as a result of using a Xerox machine to print them.



Dashwood will have 700 limited edition copies at $85 a piece, while also offering 50 deluxe editions for an undisclosed price, whatever that may be.

Ari Marcopoulos: The Chance is Higher
April 3rd 6-8pm
Dashwood Books
33 Bond Street
New York, NY 10012
212 387 8520

See you soon,
The Forum

Things On

Hey All,
We hope everyone is getting over the post PDN30 hangover that seemed to consume the internet the past week. We have a few bits of information concerning shows & the photo world we thought we might pass on to y'all:
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Nothing groundbreaking here but Glenn reminded us of the plethora of brilliant exhibitions currently being hosted by some of Manhattans finest Museums:

Head to the Upper Eastside of town for a dynamite of an exhibition, I Want To Believe featuring Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang in the Guggenheim. Chances are you have seen some of his highly publicized drawings recently, there not hard to miss, there the ones made with gun powder & explosives. In addition there's photographs from what he calls "Explosion Events" and an installation of what else, cars that are exploding with rave lights. Be sure to catch it before it ends on May 28 or you might just explode.
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While in the area make your way downtown a bit to the always entertaining MoMa, that houses not one but two captivating shows. The first of the two is, Color Chart: Reinventing Color, 1950 to Today. Half retrospective half social conquest, Color Chart asks us to look back at color and how it has affected the artist choice and thus our relationship with it. The accessibility of mass produced and standardized color has paved the way for concepts like Crayola, Benjamin Moore & Pantone to become common place in our society. So next time you are searching for Vivid Tangerine in your Crayola Crayon box maybe think about that.

Carrying on with the social effect & change theme, The MoMa also presents, Design and the Elastic Mind. In a nutshell this exhibition attempts to present a timeline of essential & clever bits of design that have helped progress society in a time of hyper globalization. One quote we felt holds the essence of this show was;

"One of design's most fundamental tasks is to stand between revolutions and life, and to help people deal with change."

It seems both shows have a lot of questions for you to pounder afterwards but we think it's quite nice the MoMa seems to not be highlighting any superstar artists but rather the well-being & understanding of today's evolving society.
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If museums aren't your deal than jump on a Brooklyn bound train to check out a couple gallery shows thanks to Jami & Sean. The first of the two is a bit installation and a bit photography and is Suspended Realities by Sarah Lynch at Klompching Gallery. Lynch's genius in this series lies in her ability to create great tension between seamlessly mundane objects. Her neutral color palette, low angles and distant horizon line do wonders for her simple composed accents, they have a way of feeling playful but ever so serious.

So if installations or perhaps sections of walls going thru gallery spaces are more of your thing than check out Smack Mellon and the architectural installations of Amanda Mathis. Under Renovation addresses the ongoing trend of interior renovation and focuses on building materials & methods to juxtapose the new & the old. Using materials from the original Smack Mellon, the refurbishment and new materials, Mathis replicated parts from the original structure to offer us a new perspective on something old.
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On last minute and upcoming addition, Bond Street Gallery hosts Coney Island of The Heart with pictures by Harold Feinstein, Bruce Davidson, Bruce Gilden, Sid Grossman, Harold Roth & Henri Silberman. Feinstein represents the majority of these nostalgic images but the exhibition also features selected work of the latter. It looks to be a blast from the past and is bound to get us all ready & excited for that summer thats just around the corner. Be sure to check out the Opening Night on the 27th of this month.
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Lastly, The New York Photo Festival has announced their programming for what looks to be an exciting couple of weekdays & weekend in May. The highlight clearly appears to be the curators (Martin Parr, Kathy Ryan, Lesley A. Martin & Tim Barber) laying out their personal roadmaps & visions for contemporary photography, its sure to make one think alot.
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Cheers to Jami, Glenn & Sean for keeping us well informed.

Massive Respect,
The Forum Crew

Master of Disturbance: Michael Haneke

"My films are intended as polemical statements against the American 'barrel down' cinema and its dis-empowerment of the spectator. They are an appeal for a cinema of insistent questions instead of false (because too quick) answers, for clarifying distance in place of violating closeness, for provocation and dialogue instead of consumption and consensus."

Michael Haneke came to our attention last year, when one of our Nutopia members, Andreas Laszlo Konrath, did a photo shoot with a young actor named Brady Corbet. Corbet had just finished filming the remake of Funny Games, and told Andreas about the director and his films.


Since learning about Haneke, we at the Forum have tried to watch his extensive filmography:

- The Seventh Continent (1989)
- Benny's Video (1992)
- 71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance (1994)
- Funny Games (1997)
- Code Unknown (2000)
- The Piano Teacher (2002)
- Time of the Wolf (2003)
- Cache (2005)
- Funny Games (2008)

Haneke’s vision, although disturbing in most of his films, also makes you question your own definition of what and what isn’t ‘disturbing’. Constantly pushing your own perception of right and wrong, it is rare to find a murder scene in film (where you don’t even witness the physical act of violence), and to be totally emotionally wrecked by it. This plays with our emotions rather than being desensitized by the repetitive mowing down of humans in gory detail that we see in most violent films these days.

It is has almost become common place to witness death in films and not to even blink an eye, where as Haneke makes his scenes with such intensity that you genuinely worry about your own safety in this world. Of course, Haneke is not glorifying murder at all, but showing it in such a way that you become angered by the act. Surely being tested by such film making is what we need every now and then, rather than just sitting back and having an easy ride through the journey of a film.



We advise you see the Austro-German version of Funny Games (1997), and then prepare yourself for the scene for scene remake (by Haneke himself) in English, set in America, with an new all star cast including Tim Roth, Naomi Watts, Michael Pitt & Brady Corbet.

An interesting idea of remaking your own film with no changes in script or shots what so ever, and it will be up to the audience to decide how this new version lives up to the highly acclaimed original.


1997


2008

News in the movie pipeline (or sewer!) that Ron Howard is remaking Haneke’s Cache … This also leads us to the question of why Hollywood feels the need to remake every decent European film… But with Funny Games at least the result entirely lies on Haneke’s head, let’s hope he and his new version can live up to the hype.

The remake of Funny Games will be released on March 14th, 2008.

Keep challenging us Haneke!

Nutopia Forum.

Hot Off The Presses: PDN30

We would like to congratulate two forum members, Mike McGregor & Andreas Laszlo Konrath on their inclusion in the illustrious PDN30 this year. Spot on fellows.



Also Mike will be a panelist at PDN's Transitions: Strategies For The Young Working Photographer on March 10th. Looks to be an exciting and eventful evening @ Parsons.



Lastly, Nutopia got it's self a bit of press at the end of the issue with a nice bit of text & our first four covers. We would like to thank our friends at PDN for the exposure. However we would like to note they made a bit of mistake in the article as our website is NutopiaForum.com not Nutopia.com, but you knew that.


Over and Out,
TNF

Nutopia 5

Welcome to March
&
Welcome to Nutopia Issue 5
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This month we feature the work of:
Cole Barash
Sean Carroll
&
Sung Hyun Sohn

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Out now, check it.
Nutopia Magazine

Cheers
The Nutopia Crew

Amendment To Previous Post

After a telephone conversation with a mate of ours we feel we must put right a wrong we made the other day.

31 under 31 is opening tonight, rather than sunday.
The Original Post

Sorry for the confusion, we are human afterall.
Hope to see some of you there.