The World Is A Vast Place

I forgot to mention that awhile back i was whisked away to the Philadelphia Racetrack. It was in no way, shape or form the debaucherous, trashy underbelly sort of place (thinking Atlantic City here) that i was expecting. It basically felt like a picnic paradise, with one wholesome familly after the other, surrounded by their mountains of foodstuffs for their ultimate barbeque, all seated around beautiful, retro picnic tables- the kind with the metal two-tone umbrellas pitched at that perfect angle just overhead. And, yeah, there just happened to be this racetrack and horses and what not. I realize i may have been witnessing an exception to the usual crowd- it being Memorial Day Weekend and all.

Anyway, the whole scene blew my mind. I'm still not really sure- but it seems that on the weekends, horse racing goes on all over the country, all day long. The races at this track happened every 30 minutes of so; and in between those, you could wander over to the "Simulcast" area (lots of tv's) and bet on another race happening some place far away. And they were all staggered perfectly- there was basically always a race occuring, and therefore, always something to bet on.

I'm not so interested in betting, so i soaked in the environment as much as possible, took a few photos, and entertained myself with the "data of past performances" in the little guidebook, which used great phrases to describe how the horses fared in previous races- "finished willingly," "off pace, retreated," "between foes, faded," "showed little," "pressed, bested rest," and the best of all: "failed to menace."

It's an interesting feeling- to be exposed to a thriving sport/subculture that has transfixed people for decades, consumed people's entire lives; yet i have spent my 26 years managing to avoid any contact with it whatsoever. The world is a vast place.

"You Could Write A Story About This Ashtray..."

Lint


Dryw's Scar

Under The Secretary's Desk

Good Stuff

Cynthia Connolly is pretty awesome. After seeing some photographs of hers in the upcoming issue of The Fretboard Journal, i realized i've seen her work and heard her name at random times throughout the years. I definitely consider Cynthia to be contributing to the gradual changing of the photographic medium that is currently taking place unconciously by photographers/artists who continue to react to their environment and share it with the world via a camera apparatus.

On a related note, i am continually obsessed with trying to pin down current trends and practices that will give us any clue as to where photography and/or our methods/means of visual consumption will be heading in the future. This is all due to a college professor who got me interested in Futurism- not the art movement, but the scientific prediction and philosophical discussion of the future. I guess it's all about fun- it feels very playful, like a game, or gambling- trying to spot the glaring signs of where we're headed, knowing that we can't quite see them, even though they are all around us. They always are, as we discover years later, in hindsight. The secrets of the rest of our lives were right under our noses the whole time.

Photos below are Cynthia Connolly's- definitely not mine
See some more HERE








all above photographs by Cynthia Connolly

You Are Beautiful

You Are Beautiful hits-up Philadelphia. Read about this project HERE