Schenectady, N.Y. (Jan. 7, 1999) – An exhibit of color photography by James E. Schuck at Union College's Social Science Building explores the fascinating and often beautiful world that lies beneath our feet, and the tires of our cars.
“Three Feet from the Street,” a series of a 19 2 by 2-foot color photographs of streets, sidewalks, bridge gratings, potholes and manhole covers, runs through March 12. The show is free and open to the public. Hours are weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
There will be a reception with the artist on Thursday, Jan. 14, from 4 to 6 p.m.
Schuck's photographs show a world that has no scale, except for a blade of grass, a cigarette butt or a footprint. Some appear as satellite photographs of mountainous continents, others as lakes in the middle of deserts. Some look like starry skies. But a closer look reveals that nearly all have some small clue that they are part of the city underfoot – tire marks, pieces of broken glass, gum wrappers, paint, oil.
Schuck created the images by tripod mounting a Hasselblad pointing straight down at the street. He used a Carl Zeiss 80 mm lens, with a minimum focus distance of three feet – hence the name of the exhibit. His work often drew curious crowds, particularly for one picture taken near a drive-through window at a McDonald's.
The project grew out of Schuck's fascination with urban streetscapes. “At some point, I looked down at the streets I had been traversing for years and actually began looking at them,” said the Brooklyn artist. “Reflections in puddles began to fascinate me, cracks in the sidewalk, the garbage, the strewn paint, broken glass, oil spills, tar, everything looked more beautiful than I had ever seen it before (if I had ever seen it before).
“Every streetscape was a cosmos in itself – there was a wholeness in each fragment – a self-contained, unique atom of life. Some of these worlds existed for a finite period of time – after a rainstorm a landscape was transformed; the next day it was gone. I discovered a world of infinite beauty, filled with magnificence and grace that I had simply overlooked, and I began to wonder how much more I was inured to or simply ignored in my rush to get somewhere. This work has taught me the value of discernment; that each microcosm holds within it some wisdom, if only I am mindful enough to show it the respect of careful attention.”
For more information, call (518) 388-6090.
For calendar listings:
Exhibit: “Three Feet from the Street,” photographs by James E. Schuck
Dates: Through March 12
(Opening reception is Thursday, Jan. 14, 4 to 6 p.m.)
Place: Social Sciences Building Lounge (second floor), Union College
Time: Weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: Free
Information: (518) 388-6456