So far as we can tell, Andrew Zuckerman conducted the last interview and took the last portrait of Andrew Wyeth for his Wisdom Book. A remarkable man interviewing a remarkable man.
And what a fine morning it is. I just want to begin by saying "Thank you" for reading this blog, commenting on our posts, and especially for encouraging Team SuperForest.
Okay, the Peace Alphabet...
This project began several months ago when I wrote a post about the lack of cool iconography to communicate Peace. Peace has the Peace Symbol, the dove, and..... that's about it. Right about that time I saw this:
In this amazing short film, John Lennon speaks about how everything you do should be done for Peace. Smile for Peace, kiss for Peace, go to school for Peace, don't go to school for Peace, piss for Peace...
That last one really stuck with me. Piss for Peace. I love that idea. Wanting only to make some folks and myself laugh, I quickly drew up what would become the first letter:
P is for Peace.
"P" lead to "A", which lead to "B", and so on... I drew them out of order, doing whatever letter I felt inspired to do at the time.
For me, this project has very little to do with the creation of the 26 images, and everything to do with the spread of the idea that Peace is a brand, and as a brand, needs attention, nurturing and support in order to succeed.
The Peace Alphabet idea is a very good one (IMHO) as it gives anyone willing to undertake their own version twenty six chances to get one thing right. Even if I fail 25 times, perhaps that 26th image might just be one that sticks. 26 chances means you can fail a great deal while conversely increasing your chances of succeeding.
The Peace Alphabet idea also put SF and myself in a new position, as now that the series is completed, we have for the first time created a product. A product that we would be proud to offer to the world, in whatever form the world wanted it in.
If you would like a poster with every letter on it, I'd love for you to have it. If you'd like a book, ditto. A print, ditto. Whatever form you desire, we'd like to offer you.
So, we SuperForesters have been discussing how exactly we can make the move from producing ideas to producing "things" in as clean and responsible a way as is possible.
For the future, we plan on creating a site for the PA exclusively, a nice little cyber-home for it online, to develop as it will. What really excites me is the idea of other artists and makers doing their own versions of it. Hopefully, like a tomato plant, the Peace Alphabet will grow and produce fruit and spread, and in the end we will have a deluge of clever new images to represent Peace. Images that everyone can experience and use via the magic connecting power of the inter-cyber-web.
I'd would love some feedback, any feedback, positive or negative on the execution of the idea, the idea itself, and what we could best be doing to spread the "Brand Peace" meme.
Without further ado, the Peace Alphabet:
There you have them. 26 new images for Peace, for your consideration.
I would like to dedicate this to Andrew Zuckerman, whose support of me, SuperForest and the Peace Alphabet have been unflagging.
To Christine Norrie, who taught me to draw in the first place, and who gave me the confidence to start making my own images.
New York based photographer, film maker, fashionisto, (and SuperForester!) Andrew Zuckerman is on the verge of releasing an incredible document.
It is called Wisdom and is nothing less than a round table discussion by our global elders on topics as diverse as Love, Work, Environment, and yes, even Wisdom itself.
Check it:
Nelson Mandela
Firstly, the beautifully revealing portraits! These portraits are stunning for many reasons. The one that really speaks to me is how they have been handled by the post-production team. It would have been quite simple to airbrush out every wrinkle and mole, but these humans are allowed to retain their humanity by Zuckerman and his talented staff.
Andrew Wyeth
So instead of everyone looking like movie stars, they look like you and I. This makes their messages much more accessible. By photographing his subjects all on the same background, AZ has democratized them, allowing for a true discussion and discourse, with no hierarchy.
Looky:
Chuck Close
Bill Withers
(How they got Withers is beyond me. He's tougher to photograph than Howard Hughes!)
Ravi Shankar
These photographic gems are held firmly in place with some of the most astounding typography and graphic design we've yet seen. Thanks to designer extraordinaire David Meredith, (who also designed Andrew's last book: Creature) there are so many ways one can access this work.
Each page is like a poem. Nothing extraneous. Nothing to clutter the clarity of the images and quotes.
Mr. Zuckerman has collected an amazing range of thoughts and ideas from people who have lived through some very trying times, and at a time when the zeitgeist is so obsessed with "youth-culture" it is refreshing to see someone documenting those that can offer advice and clean thinking from points of view that have withstood the tests of time, from the opposite end of the spectrum.
If you love portraiture, you'll love this book. If you love the wisdom of those who have been there and done that, you'll love this book. If you love surprising and playful design, you'll love this book.
To add to the experience further, each book comes with a DVD of the Wisdom movie. It contains footage from each interview as well as a fascinating behind-the-scenes documentary. (It sure looks like a lot of work goes into making a book, or maybe that's just a testament to the drive and tenacity of Mr. Zuckerman and Co.)
A click or two later we arrived at Ms. Morgan's site and there we found this lovely piece.
Entitled "The More I Want You," the piece is made entirely out of hanging strawberries.
Says Claire:
"I find that there can be great power in objects or scenarios that simultaneously illustrate acute beauty and horror.
All things are connected. Natural, cyclical forces have an impact on everything, including us. There is a fear associated with this and I am fascinated with how this impacts on our relationship with the rest of the natural world. I use movement and change to explore points where seemingly opposing elements merge: beauty and repulsion; chaos and safety; death, life and death in turn.
The process of making the work has something in common with drawing without a rubber, but I am drawing within a 3-dimensional space. Almost all measurements needed are judged by eye. As each new strawberry is suspended, its presence makes those behind it inaccessible. This means that any mistakes cannot be 'erased'. I hope this results in there being a kind of honesty about the work, and I wonder if this honesty, risk, and potential for weakness can actually be seen as a strength."
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