camera obscura – Lisa G Westheimer

Hanging with the works on opening night

AIPAD is an exciting event for Bill and I. Unlike Paris Photo, Bill has work in it – at Charles Schwartz Ltd. Charles is a dear, dear friend who collaborates with Bill in camera obscura projects, in particular, Visions in the Dark. I met Charles in the 1990’s when he hired me, during my former work life as a construction consultant, for the installation of his camera obscura . During this process I told him that he just had to meet Bill and they have been fast friends ever since.

The gang’s all here at booth 415- right to left: Charles Schwartz, Bill, and Charlse’s wife, fabulous artist Nancy Drosd.

Charles Schwartz Ltd occupied booth 415 at AIPAD. Bill was there to lend a hand and to explain his current works, 3D printed geometric shape series entitled Elementary. Bill’s work is a meld of very early photographic process with cutting edge technology. This current series involved making tin types on colored metals by placing geometric shapes he created with his 3D printer directly on the metal, or something like that. I think scanning is involved too. Anyway, hard for a mere mortal like me to describe, best to have him on hand to explain it. Also on view were sculptures Lumix and The Silver Circle from his Gutenberg series, which involve objects and texts encased in 3D printed sculptures. (Ask him to explain them too.)

Bill with works from his “Elementary” series at Charles Schwartz Ltd booth #415, AIPAD.

Bottom shelf far right and middle shelf far right corner: works from Bill’s “Gutenburg” series.

What I like about AIPAD is it’s home turf for me. It’s local so I can bring clothes just for the opening reception and really rock my inner disco queen. I can change into my heels and leave my sneaks under the table with my purse at the booth. I don’t need a notebook to keep myself busy. I know some of the other exhibitors. I don’t have to be on my best behavior, I can wander around and fetch food and drinks for Bill, Emma and Jenny (who work for Charles) and leave and do other fun things elsewhere when I get bored.

The opening reception was really fun. I decided the occasion warranted a very busy outfit: my father’s necktie skirt. These were neckties he wore in the 1960’s, waffle weave, crazy- pattered silk and synthetic paragons of psychedalia that my grandmother flattened out and sewed together. Some of them had naked ladies tucked into the lining at the point, which Grandma, probably in a fit of propriety, tore out and discarded, sigh. The waist band was also a tie, one of his skinny silk ones. The skirt has seen me through high school dances, twirls under the disco ball at Studio 54, a couple Halloween parties and many a gallery opening. It has had such a peripatetic life that the closure promptly tore off when I fastened it just before leaving for the reception. A large safety pin was deployed and we were back in business.

Shedding the Nicole Miller rain coat and about to put on my silver shoes to complete the “look.”

Complementing the skirt was my silver embroidered Mandarin style blouse I picked up at a flea market in Portland, Oregon, a silver foam motorcycle type jacket from Ibiza (on sale) vintage bamboo and glass chandelier earrings from Love Saves the Day (mentioned recently in my personal blog: https://notesfromajerseygirl.wordpress.com/2016/03/03/another-nail-in-the-coffin-trash-and-vaudeville-moved/ ) a pair of really busy tights from the Reebok store on Union Square, my silver “tranny fence climber” pumps I picked up in a thrift shop in Provincetown, MA (everyone should have their heels broken in by transvestites, they have such nice wide feet) and to top it all off a really busy candy wrapper patterned Nicole Miller silk raincoat and vintage Donna Karan sunglasses.

Thus outfitted, I made my way to the reception. That outfit made me friends.

Comparing outfits with photographer and style consultant Mahlot Sansosa

Photographer Henny Garfunkel on the other side of the camera. Don’t you just love her look?!

Photographer and style consultant Mahlot Sansosa grabbed me for a picture. Jill Krementz took some photographs and included us in her New York Social Diary coverage of the event!!! I simply ADORED Henny Garfunkel’s entire look and followed her around until I got up the nerve to ask for a picture. There was an Asian woman wearing the most divine pink wool skirt suit with matching bowler hat with darling purse and shoes, but she moved too fast to snap a pic, drat! She had by far my favorite outfit.

Other cool outfits seen during the event.

Oh, and the art photography was pretty good too, 😉 This is my 3rd AIPAD event and without a doubt I found it to have the best fine art photography, both vintage and new that I have seen yet. The works were aesthetically pleasing, told amazing stories and not derivative in the least. Go to the AIPAD website and have a look for yourself!