Local art gallery showcases “phonographs” – photos taken with cell phone cameras and edited in apps
On Friday Sept. 27, Ed Video hosted an extremely interesting and thought-provoking exhibit of cell phone photography. Titled “guelPhonography,” the gallery featured the 20 finalists in a contest to take the best photographs of Guelph – all with cell phone cameras and photo-editing apps. During the show, the top three winners were announced after being chosen by a panel of judges. The winners walked away with rather large bags of prizes, which were overheard to have included a free haircut, Planet Bean coffee, and styling products, among many other unnamed things. In first place was Chris Borak with his photo “Splash City,” a beautiful shot of a child playing in some water with a view of Guelph’s infamous Church of Our Lady Immaculate looming over trees in the background. Printed on aluminum to give it a shiny metallic look, the photo was taken with an iPhone 4S and edited with the Snapseed app.
Every photo was printed on the artist’s choice of wood, aluminum, or acrylic plastic, allowing each to be beautifully displayed on an unexpected medium. Almost all the photos were taken with iPhones, except for one on a Blackberry Z10 and two on a Samsung Galaxy. The photos were edited in a variety of different apps, including Toaster, Hipstamatic, and of course Instagram, which caused several of the photos to be that unique Instagram square shape.
Along with beautiful artwork in a great atmosphere, there was food including gluten-free baked goods, kombucha, and fair-trade coffee.
The exhibit was very thought provoking and asked the viewer to critically consider the role of technology in art, and how something as simple as a picture taken with an iPhone can be artistic and aesthetically appealing. Humorously, all the photographs that were landscapes were in portrait orientation, as they were taken with cell phones. This caused for a very non-traditional and unconventional look to many landscape scenes.
The runner-up prize was awarded to Jen Thorne for her photo of a forest trail, titled “Crisp & Brisk Trails,” and third place was a wonderful piece titled “Sweet Rides for Miles” by Heather Watterworth, who photographed the inside of a bike shop.
The guelPhonography exhibit was a part of the Culture Days weekend in Guelph, which took place on Sept. 27 to 29. The show will be moving to the Atmosphere Café for October and November, with a meet and greet with the phonographers on Oct 24.