This blog post was contributed by Frances Cirenza, editorial assistant.
This week in awesome, Sarah Small captured my attention. Already known on ZIO as the recent winner of a Viewfinders Challenge, her upcoming exhibit/ party/ studio session/ show is certifiably awesome.
Small is known for unusual portraits – think somewhat-less-dark Diane Arbus meets performance art. She directs her models into stories of contradiction and tries to find interesting combinations of expressions, ages, body lines, and aesthetics.
This image, called Lonely Lakers Man, reminds me of the Arbus fascination with twins.
Much like the director of an improv acting group, she calls out characters and emotions and adds or removes clothing, and ultimately the models she chooses and the feelings she draws out of them make her shots work. This we already know. What’s new and exciting with Small is that she has begun throwing an extraordinary event to bring the public into her studio and vice versa. Tableau Vivant Part I debuted this past March, and Part II is set for early 2010.
Ostrich Stretch
The show aims to immerse 700 patrons into a world of 120 models performing to the call of Small. She will capture the interactions of the two worlds and between the models themselves.
According to her website, “The evening will unfold as Small’s models take position on stages throughout the event space. Small and co-director David Chapman will arrange models in narratives which walk the line between choreography and improvisation. The performance becomes an experiment as participants respond and react to one another, and the event is allowed to take on a life of its own.”
Molly Watching Wes
With an insane amount of live models, a big audience, and the potential for lots of interesting work, Sarah Small’s site is this week’s awesome photo site.
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