The 17th Online
Exhibition of Night Photography
The Nocturnes: Not Ready to make Nice
The "Political Show"
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." - Theodore Roosevelt, 1918
The Nocturnes.com invites all interested artists to enter
"The Nocturnes: Not Ready to make Nice". . . " - our latest
online Night Photography Exhibition. This competition is open to all night
photographers, all photo media - traditional B/W, color, "hybrid
workflows," and digital cameras are OK, too! We ask only that your
final outcome would normally be a fine photographic print - b/w, color,
alternative, whatever - presenting mysterious, riveting nocturnal imagery
that questions the previaling political wisdom, pactice, and /or taboos.
Those elements, and of course the musical connection, which we're always
making here at The Nocturnes! Just in time for the new Congress!
Image Copyright Tim Baskerville
Judged by a Guest Juror to be announced, this exhibit, soon to become
known as our most overt 'political show,' is curated by our own Tim Baskervile,
who had this to say about the motivation behind it:
"The title for the show comes from the current hit song by the Dixie
Chicks entitled 'Not Ready to make Nice' and the specific lyrical
content we had in mind for this show goes like this:
"I’m not ready to make nice
I’m not ready to back down
I’m still mad as hell and I don’t have time to go round and round and
round
It’s too late to make it right
I probably wouldn’t if I could
‘Cos I’m mad as hell
Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I should."
"Describing their bout with knee-jerk conservatism and the chilling
effect it has on political commentary, that passage also mirrors some
encounters that we've had, here at The Nocturnes! Now, we weren't told,
as Ms. Maines and the "Chicks" were, to "shut up and sing,
or [your] life will be over" - but we have been told in no uncertain
terms that our previous occasional socio-political commentaries were a
"real turn off" - well, at the time, we thought, the last four
years (now six) had proved to be a "real turn off" for us as
well, and we were just voicing that concern. This artistic censorship
(self imposed or not) seems to be a recurring theme in American politics
and pop culture; one in which artists are not supposed to have or present
any ideas, in the political realm. We've seen this very recently with
the Barbara Streisand comments to an audience member (see http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/gossip/15723375.htm)
heckling her for a political 'skit' she was performing (with a 'W' look-alike)
onstage. BTW, she told him to "Shut the fuck up. Shut up if you can't
take a joke!" I think a lot of this has to do with the whole 'looks over
substance' effect on pop music and culture, in this country. Sometime
after the sixties (early seventies?) it became the trend for artists to
feel like they had to 'shut down' or become completeley marginalized.
"And how in the world can the words that I said
Send somebody so over the edge
That they’d write me a letter
Sayin’ that I better shut up and sing
Or my life will be over."
"If you don't know what all the controversary is about, or have been
living outside the country the past few years (in which case, actually
you might have a even better idea of what this is all about!) - check
out these links to find out more:
www.shutupandsingmovie.com
www.dixiechicks.com
See the video - www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwc5YSAc-7g
Shut up and Sing movie trailer - www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgESdfe7v90
On Oprah - www.youtube.com/watch?v=tveoI7l8rBk&mode=related&search=
Image Copyright Tim Baskerville
"Even in the late seventies, when I first started in Night Photography,
some of the first work I did, had political overtones - an 'electrified'
large American flag draped over a ghostly visage, with another on a nearby
tomb-like structure; a message from overseas: I.R.A. - the letters lluminated
in the colors of the Irish tri-color (back when some forms of terrorism
were more acceptable than others).
"Forgive, sounds good
Forget, I’m not sure I could
They say time heals everything
But I’m still waiting."
"With all that in mind, and at the risk of alienating a few more
audience members, let's stir up a little commentary, or controversy, shall
we? BTW, this show is not limited to us tree-huggin liberals "wearing
our politics on our sleeves" - we are looking for Night Photography
that delivers any type of commentary on the current socio-political and
free speech situation.
Entry Fee and Deadline
There is no limit to the number of pieces submitted per artist.
Entry Fee: $25 for up to 3 entries; each additional entry is $5. Postmarked
dates for entries are NOT acceptable for this competition - we will need
to RECEIVE your 'hard copy' of entry form and fee by February 28, 2007!
Please NOTE: Entries from outside the U.S. should be sent well in advance
of the February 28, 2007 deadline, as international mail deliveries are
often delayed up to a week or two.
Exhibition Dates:
Exhibition runs from March 10, 2007 through April 30, 2006. Accepted work
will then reside in a developing archive of nocturnal imagery on The Nocturnes
Web site (NEWLY re-designed!) after the exhibition closes - available
to Night Photographers and those interested in Night Photography, worldwide.
What to send:
Send jpeg files at 72 dpi named appropriately for the Web: 8 letters-dot-3
letter extension (e.g.- niteshot.jpg) all lowercase letters. The size
should be no greater than 600 pixels in any one dimension. Square medium
format film images are optimal at 600x600 pixels; and scanned 35mm film
images should be approximately 400x600 pixels.
If you send images via snail mail, the files should be small enough (see
above) to fit on a CD or floppy (use lots of protective cardboard for
shipping disk). An even better alternative is to send us the URL of images
that are already on a web page, and we can 'retrieve' those images. As
you might have gathered, we are trying to avoid a flood of emails and
haphazard, ineffective attachments being sent to the site.
Awards:
Two (2) Awards will be awarded at the discretion of the Awards Juror (TBA)
- a Best of Show and an Honorable Mention (Prize Money to be announced).
This final jurying will be done from a preliminary selection of works
by members of The Nocturnes.
Sales:
Sales will be encouraged - No Commission taken for any of our online exhibits
- and direct links to artist sites or emails will be provided. Artwork
remains Copyright of the participating artists. Pages on the Web site
are Copyright, The Nocturnes, and Pacific Media Arts. The exhibit, "The
Nocturnes: Not Ready to make Nice" (not the song, tho'!) is Copyright Pacific
Media Arts and The Nocturnes Web site.
Please print all pages of this form, fill them out (keeping a copy
for your records)
and mail with appropriate fee (to be RECEIVED by February 28, 2007) to:
The Nocturnes: Not Ready to make Nice
Pacific Media Arts
PO Box 29074
Presidio of San Francisco, CA 94129
ENTRY FORM
The Nocturnes: Not ready to make Nice
(print, fill out and forward with entry fee to Pacific Media Arts)
Name:
_________________________________________________________________
Company:
_________________________________________________________________
Address:
_________________________________________________________________
City/State/Country/Postal Code:
_________________________________________________________________
Phone:
_________________________________________________________________
Fax:
_________________________________________________________________
email:
_________________________________________________________________
URL: (where artwork is to be found)
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
File #1 - Filename: (e.g.- niteshot.jpg)
_________________________________________________________________
File #1 - Title of artwork/Year created: (e.g.- "Politico-Nocturne
#2")
_________________________________________________________________
File #1 - Photo Medium/Print Dimensions/Price:
_________________________________________________________________
File #2 - Filename:
_________________________________________________________________
File #2 - Title of artwork:
_________________________________________________________________
File #2 - Photo Medium/Print Dimensions/Price:
_________________________________________________________________
File #3 - Filename:
_________________________________________________________________
File #3 - Title of artwork:
_________________________________________________________________
File #3 - Photo Medium/Print Dimensions/Price:
_________________________________________________________________
File #4 - Filename:
_________________________________________________________________
File #4 - Title of artwork:
_________________________________________________________________
File #4 - Photo Medium/Print Dimensions/Price:
_________________________________________________________________
File #5 - Filename:
_________________________________________________________________
File #5 - Title of artwork:
_________________________________________________________________
File #5 - Photo Medium/Print Dimensions/Price:
_________________________________________________________________
Include nonrefundable Entry Fee: $25 (US Dollars) for up to 3 entries;
additional entries are $5 each
Check#: ______ Payable to Pacific Media Arts
Credit Card: Visa _____ Mastercard _____ Amount: ________________
Credit Card Number: ________________________________________
Expiration: _____ / _____ Name on Card: _______________________
Zip Code corresponding to Credit Card: _________________________
Authorized Signature: _______________________________________
Number of disks ______
enclosed. Disks will NOT be returned.
Photographic Experience /
Interest in Night
Photography:
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
How did you learn about this online exhibition? Previous
show?
Specify by name if Craigslist.org, Artist Resource Web site,
Artweek or other publication,
The Nocturnes Web site, a poster in
retail outlet, or other.
When did you first discover The
Nocturnes?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Would you be interested if this (or another) show were presented in a
more traditional
"bricks and white walls' venue (probably in the San
Francisco Bay area).
Any suggestions?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Receipt of this completed, signed entry form or any materials,
files, etc.
constitutes your agreement with the conditions set forth in
this prospectus.
SIGNATURE _________________________________ DATE
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