My Summer of Love: I set out running but I take my time

September 02, 2009

I set out running but I take my time

Snailonhand

Bear in mind, this first photo was taken with an iPhone. I went to a party where there was a snail in a garden. I realize they eat plants, and people don't like when there are too many. However, I rarely see them anywhere. I know people buy them for aquariums, because they are good for that type of ecosystem, as they eat algae. I cannot vilify them. I placed one in my hand. He was nestled in tight and looked like an empty shell. Other guests told me he'd never come out. Let me totally nerd out and say slugs are not snails; they are two different animals. I sat calmly with him in my hand. He felt safe with me, eventually, and curious of what this alabaster hand was like. He slowly stuck out his feelers. It was not at all gross, it was adorable and only lasted a few moments. These animals look ancient to me. They are creations of the universe, or God's creations, or whatever you believe, as much as we are.

This summer I received a magazine called Paper, by an artistic Swedish company called Acne. It flew to me all the way from Scandinavia, a place I'm enamored of. It arrived in tissue paper with paint splatters and drip marks.

My favorite part of the issue is Tim Walker's shoot called Slow Down. I snapped a couple of pictures of the magazine by a thicket, abuzz with honey bees.

Above is what I took today. Below is the uninterrupted original version by Mr. Walker

It isn't a glossy publication, which made for awesome photos in today's fading sunlight. I enjoy seeing the shadows.

The spread shows a girl modeling for us in an attractive and sparse living space...looks as if it is kept as a meeting spot for two lovers. They rendezvous here and knock over lamps.

There's a larger than life snail on the wall, on the bed, and under the table. There's something sexy about the animals, and I'm not positive why, precisely. They're fascinating with their horns, hard shells, hypnotic spirals, and stickiness. Some say they are beautiful, others say they are horrid. What say you?

One of the pages shows the girl raising her chin.

I put a real violet on the page... you get a sense of how enormous the pages are.

In a small way, it reminds me of a sculpture I learned about in college, called

Saint Theresa In Ecstasy.

It was made in the 1600s by the artist Bernini.

The shoot has a little touch of the Baroque period.

Something else I could tell you is that one of Aesop's fables was called

"The Snail and the Mirror."

I notice the model is holding a mirror in a few of these; it's very subtle. I'm not saying the set designers were definitely thinking of the fable. Still I thought I'd point out the possibility.

You're encouraged to click on every photo, until I widen this column. I want you to see the silhouettes from the thistle flowers! Those details turned out beautifully... the shadows looked like paintbrush strokes, thanks to the sun setting while I photographed.

Posted at 08:00 PM in art, fashion, natural | Permalink

Comments

snails are so cute!

Posted by: andrea | September 03, 2009 at 07:21 AM

That is a very cool snail in the garden-- it almost reminds me of a sea creature. The snails in SoCal are duller colored and their shells are more upright. I haven't seen any snails in the Midwest, though what are the odds they haven't discovered a place with a snail-like pace?

The magazine reminds me of a big art/fashion magazine that lasted for only about a year and a half, it was expensive, it was huge and not glossy. This was in the early nineties on the West Coast. There was a time you could come across these cool publications frequently in this country, and now it seems like you have to search for them, with a pick axe and shovel. Anyway, I think you are on to something, about the Snail and the Mirror.

Posted by: Lili Fugit | September 03, 2009 at 02:42 PM

the gigantor snails in the magazine remind me of the snail in the neverending story. the one that the strange fellow in the purple top hat rode like a horse. he was, in fact, a "racing snail." the rock biter was concerned that the snail wouldn't be able to keep up, but was instantly set straight on that account.
man i love that movie.
which leads me to: who thinks snails are gross? them suckers are beauts. i bet they were fibonacci's favorites...

Posted by: kerri | September 03, 2009 at 04:08 PM