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This is the Rebellion against overproduced images often in the digital world. These are images made from my film cameras. Each image I shot myself. The subjects are often friends, and acquaintances in their world.

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How Bizarre How Bazzar Ha.  I love that title.  Referencing a mid 90’s One hit wonder all the while embracing the Homonyms that are fitting, and relevant.  I love the marketplace of the foreign world, as well as the one built on ideas.  But everytime I’m in new place, and it has a downtown, that has say a street market, or festival, I’m very very apt to go check it out. In movies and films, the camera cranes over the bustling spectacle.  Whether its in Ancient China, or feudal Japan, 21st Blade Runner-Los Angeles, or Jerusalem during the time of Passover, you see the camera shot above the bedlam, as smoke, bustling monochromatic crowds, and poultry in cages.  As the camera swoops down, through rain, through incense, as camera focus zeroes in a central character walking through the market, acknowledging street vendors and their wares.  Perhaps you’ll find a headpiece to the staff of Ra, and amber filled amulet incasing a trilobite, a steamed bun with bean curd, and definitely a heavily tattooed street performer. You try to communicate to the vendor, and in a combination of broken English and King’s english, you begin a barter, a haggling session that is as old as the dna in fleas in this market.   My mom is eyeing the slippers.  You know the ones you think are cool at first and then you try them on and realize why no shoe manufacturer would actually put their symbol on them.  They are Chinese Slippers, with chinese designs, that are made to build into the Chinese lore of being “ancient” and authentic.   “What Size?,”  he asks. “No we are just looking,” says mom. “You buy and you get free,”  referring to me. “No.” I completely say. “Oh that’s a good deal!”  Exclaims my mom. Analytically I’m thinking of those stupid signs in malls that do the same thing passively aggressively.  ”SAVE 75% on all REDLINE ITEMS”  or “END OF THE YEAR SALE”  or “BACK TO SCHOOL SPECIAL”  or “HOLIDAY DEALS”  or “AFTER HOLIDAY DEALS” or “SUMMER SALE”  or “WINTER SALE” or “FOUNDER’S DAY DEAL”  They all do one thing.  They get you in the door. And that’s here what David Lo Pan is doing.  On Mott street in NY he has lured my mom in like a Snake Charmer.  I have no doubt these things were authentically made in China(seriously, what isn’t?), but I know that the country of the million man standing army doesn’t have people wearing these silk covered, poke the bottom of your feet, so you can hit all your accupuncture zones to make sure you don’t suffer from renal failure and eventual death, and you can live a harmonious existence of lotus leaf tea, and ginseng. “But its buy one get one free,” says mom. Its at this point I get upset, because I know eventually she is going to make a purchase.  I pull out Wesley(my Leica) and cock the film advance, to load the shutter release, and move the film so its ready to capture, I find my focus range and exposure, and stand on the sidewalk of Mott, silent, because I know what is going to happen. My mother peruses, and peruses, and she begins the haggle session.  They go back and forth, and forth and back, at what point, he even was about to throw in a Calendar, or a drum, or an umbrella to my brother who was standing next to me.  While my mom, pretended to walk away, and then came back again. Sometimes life experiences are not about being efficient, or wise, sometimes, its just plain fun.  And so it was for my mother, haggling, and eventually getting a pair sandals for 6 bucks that cost way much less to design, fabricate, assemble, package, ship and display from a country 13 timezones away.  And it was fun for my mom to haggle.  It reminded her of the old days in her home country, where it was common, and reminded her of her roots.  Which essentially is what you pay for, the rememberance of things that built you and defined you.  6 Bucks for an identity check is a bargain. I snapped this of David Lo Pan, as his smug mug excited about a sale, in otherwise saturated market, and imagined that his quest for eternal life through a girl with emerald green eyes would pay off for him someday, as long Jack Burton and the Porkchop Express has something to say about that. Chinatown, NYC Leica M6 50mm Summilux Provia 400H

How Bizarre How Bazzar

Ha.  I love that title.  Referencing a mid 90’s One hit wonder all the while embracing the Homonyms that are fitting, and relevant.  I love the marketplace of the foreign world, as well as the one built on ideas.  But everytime I’m in new place, and it has a downtown, that has say a street market, or festival, I’m very very apt to go check it out.

In movies and films, the camera cranes over the bustling spectacle.  Whether its in Ancient China, or feudal Japan, 21st Blade Runner-Los Angeles, or Jerusalem during the time of Passover, you see the camera shot above the bedlam, as smoke, bustling monochromatic crowds, and poultry in cages.  As the camera swoops down, through rain, through incense, as camera focus zeroes in a central character walking through the market, acknowledging street vendors and their wares.  Perhaps you’ll find a headpiece to the staff of Ra, and amber filled amulet incasing a trilobite, a steamed bun with bean curd, and definitely a heavily tattooed street performer.

You try to communicate to the vendor, and in a combination of broken English and King’s english, you begin a barter, a haggling session that is as old as the dna in fleas in this market.  

My mom is eyeing the slippers.  You know the ones you think are cool at first and then you try them on and realize why no shoe manufacturer would actually put their symbol on them.  They are Chinese Slippers, with chinese designs, that are made to build into the Chinese lore of being “ancient” and authentic.  

“What Size?,”  he asks.

“No we are just looking,” says mom.

“You buy and you get free,”  referring to me.

“No.” I completely say.

“Oh that’s a good deal!”  Exclaims my mom.

Analytically I’m thinking of those stupid signs in malls that do the same thing passively aggressively.  ”SAVE 75% on all REDLINE ITEMS”  or “END OF THE YEAR SALE”  or “BACK TO SCHOOL SPECIAL”  or “HOLIDAY DEALS”  or “AFTER HOLIDAY DEALS” or “SUMMER SALE”  or “WINTER SALE” or “FOUNDER’S DAY DEAL”  They all do one thing.  They get you in the door.

And that’s here what David Lo Pan is doing.  On Mott street in NY he has lured my mom in like a Snake Charmer.  I have no doubt these things were authentically made in China(seriously, what isn’t?), but I know that the country of the million man standing army doesn’t have people wearing these silk covered, poke the bottom of your feet, so you can hit all your accupuncture zones to make sure you don’t suffer from renal failure and eventual death, and you can live a harmonious existence of lotus leaf tea, and ginseng.

“But its buy one get one free,” says mom.

Its at this point I get upset, because I know eventually she is going to make a purchase.  I pull out Wesley(my Leica) and cock the film advance, to load the shutter release, and move the film so its ready to capture, I find my focus range and exposure, and stand on the sidewalk of Mott, silent, because I know what is going to happen.

My mother peruses, and peruses, and she begins the haggle session.  They go back and forth, and forth and back, at what point, he even was about to throw in a Calendar, or a drum, or an umbrella to my brother who was standing next to me.  While my mom, pretended to walk away, and then came back again.

Sometimes life experiences are not about being efficient, or wise, sometimes, its just plain fun.  And so it was for my mother, haggling, and eventually getting a pair sandals for 6 bucks that cost way much less to design, fabricate, assemble, package, ship and display from a country 13 timezones away.  And it was fun for my mom to haggle.  It reminded her of the old days in her home country, where it was common, and reminded her of her roots.  Which essentially is what you pay for, the rememberance of things that built you and defined you.  6 Bucks for an identity check is a bargain.

I snapped this of David Lo Pan, as his smug mug excited about a sale, in otherwise saturated market, and imagined that his quest for eternal life through a girl with emerald green eyes would pay off for him someday, as long Jack Burton and the Porkchop Express has something to say about that.

Chinatown, NYC

Leica M6 50mm Summilux Provia 400H

Notes