Sunday, February 1, 2015

ELAINE LING : WRITTEN IN STONE

ELAINE LING
Written in Stone
Edition Le Quai de la Batterie ca.2000


High Noon, Namib Desert
(Namid Desert #8)
1997
archival silver gelatin print

Persia Stones #12
2002
archival silver gelatin print
China Stones #2
1995
archival silver gelatin print
American Stones
Sunrise in the Palm of Buddha
(Angkor Stones #6)
1995 to 2003 
Africa Stones  Giant 1
1995 - 1999
archival silver gelatin print

Cappadocia Stones #9
2002
archival silver gelatin print 
China Stones #2
1995
archival silver gelatin print


Collecting can be a form of hoarding. Two of the easiest to hoard are books and recorded music.They seem so civilized and then one day you realize you need to find something which you can not because you are distracted by the other lost and new discoveries in the search.  Today that happened to me I found an early portfolio/book by Elaine Ling ,Written in Stone. 2000  with an introduction by Marcus Schubert.

I sat down with this slim document and then I went back to Elaine's website.Now I am writing this. I have been thinking a lot about how only ten years ago photography was almost magical it showed us people and places most of us would never see and yet we and they remained remote from life, trap . 

I once had a student in a class about collecting who asked me my opinion about some  images of Cambodia that he liked.These photographs were not cheap. At that moment I had a clear vision
and said buy the one you really like but take your money and go there, amazingly he did.

I can  travel comfortably with an album or book of images with me sitting on my favorite chair lost, so I will always be grateful for photographers like Elaine Ling ,who go out into the world to see and record. all images copyright Elaine Ling

elaineling.com