We recently held our second installment of our Photography Tour of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and to all those who participated in the photo contest, we salute you! Not only were the submissions diverse and vibrant, but we had over 50 entries! Three winning photos will be chosen next week by Yard-based artist Thomas Witte. In next week’s blog post we’ll highlight the winners, but for now I want to share some insight and excellent news about our celebrity judge.
Upon speaking with Thomas last week, I learned a few things about the role that photography plays in his work (which I began to discuss in my previous post). Thomas’s grandfather was a surgeon who caught the photography bug. Back in the days before digital, his grandfather would shoot and develop hundreds of slides, and they have become the basis for much of Thomas’ art. Just recently, while preparing for an upcoming Arts for Transit installation, he trekked into Grand Central Terminal with his dad, who also happens do be a photographer. With the younger Witte directing the elder, the tripod was strategically placed, photos clicked, and the scenes were cemented in time. These purpose-shot images will become part of a four-artist installation utilizing 16 large light boxes in Grand Central’s lower dining area. Thomas will use the images as the material for large, dark stencils that will silhouette against the backlit boxes (see more of his stencil work here). The stenciling will demand surgeon-like precision (it must run in the family!), and the results should be stunning.>> Continue reading
