J. Sybylla Smith, In Conversation with Sandi Haber Fifield
Episode #36, Summary
Sandi Haber Fifield’s monograph is an engaging reflection of our 21st century relationship with the 12th century Cambodian Cities of Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat.
Episode Notes
The Certainty of Nothing continues her intrepid investigation into the limits of the photographic medium. Her palpable agency and precise command belie her playful and organic methodology. With a replete tool kit of mediums and materials, Fifield transforms encounter and experience to illuminate meaning and connectivity across cultures and time.
In this book group, Sandi Haber Fifield discusses, among other things:
Coupling images
Visual Gestault
Photo as source material
Magic happening in the studio
Stages of engagement with one’s work
Connotation and codification of color
Importance of slowing down
Working with the print vs the screen
“Shifting till they sing.”
Closing quote by Claire Ping for Musee Magazine:
“She uses various techniques to reconstruct images collected over time and create what may be termed visual poems, lyrically opening up new possibilities for looking or even thinking about perception…They suggest the radical potential of the photographic medium to expand our imaginative horizon, and challenge everyday vision.“
Referenced in the episode
The New Museum Triennel 2021 - Soft Water Hard Stone
2013 After the Threshold, Kehrer Verlag
2011 Between Painting and Picking, Charta Books
2009 Walking Through the World, Charta Books
1997 Defining Eye: Women Photographers of the 20th century
“Nathan Lyons: Selected Essays, Lectures, and Interviews” (2012) edited by Jessica S. McDonald