Issue 29
As any Craigslist-poster attempting to part ways with an old mirror will tell you, it can be hard to photograph the glass without capturing your own reflection. In an attempt to remove themselves from the image, Craigslist sellers photograph mirrors from above, the side, hiding behind door frames, and take acrobatic positions to make only their hands visible. In desperate cases they resort to elaborate tripod rigging and self-timing cameras to escape the frame entirely.
What becomes clear in this elaborate choreography—between object, photographer, apparatus, and reflection—is that attempting to capture a mirror inevitably reflects what is behind you. Moving closer towards or backing away from the frame calibrates the field of vision, exposing different aspects of the capturer’s domestic environment. Only so much can be hidden: it’s unavoidable for your reflection to be partially captured.
Pidgin has always strived to be a place for reflection, and the current issue seems to reflect our present situation with all the inevitability of a craigslist photo . . . For us, this reflection is not about navel gazing or nostalgia, but about taking stock of the present, examining what changes are in motion, and using that examination to catalyze future inquiry and action.
Pidgin 29 includes contributions from:
Isabelle A. Tan, Noa Jansma, Emmanuel Osorno, Reese Lewis, Ang Li, Ana Peñalba, Billy Dufala, Jeff Tao, Rami Kanafani, Anna Renken, Malcolm Rio, Jennie Livingston, Oana Stanescu, Virgil Abloh, Nóra Al Haider, the students of New Spaces of Justice, Christine Boyer, Anthony Vidler, Maeliosa Barstow, Simon Lesina-Debiasi, Chris Myefski, Liz Gálvez, Neeraj Bhatia, Cesar Lopez, Ryan Roark, Erik Tsurumaki, Martín Cobas, Anna Gasha.
Spring 2021
As any Craigslist-poster attempting to part ways with an old mirror will tell you, it can be hard to photograph the glass without capturing your own reflection. In an attempt to remove themselves from the image, Craigslist sellers photograph mirrors from above, the side, hiding behind door frames, and take acrobatic positions to make only their hands visible. In desperate cases they resort to elaborate tripod rigging and self-timing cameras to escape the frame entirely.
What becomes clear in this elaborate choreography—between object, photographer, apparatus, and reflection—is that attempting to capture a mirror inevitably reflects what is behind you. Moving closer towards or backing away from the frame calibrates the field of vision, exposing different aspects of the capturer’s domestic environment. Only so much can be hidden: it’s unavoidable for your reflection to be partially captured.
Pidgin has always strived to be a place for reflection, and the current issue seems to reflect our present situation with all the inevitability of a craigslist photo . . . For us, this reflection is not about navel gazing or nostalgia, but about taking stock of the present, examining what changes are in motion, and using that examination to catalyze future inquiry and action.
Pidgin 29 includes contributions from:
Isabelle A. Tan, Noa Jansma, Emmanuel Osorno, Reese Lewis, Ang Li, Ana Peñalba, Billy Dufala, Jeff Tao, Rami Kanafani, Anna Renken, Malcolm Rio, Jennie Livingston, Oana Stanescu, Virgil Abloh, Nóra Al Haider, the students of New Spaces of Justice, Christine Boyer, Anthony Vidler, Maeliosa Barstow, Simon Lesina-Debiasi, Chris Myefski, Liz Gálvez, Neeraj Bhatia, Cesar Lopez, Ryan Roark, Erik Tsurumaki, Martín Cobas, Anna Gasha.
Spring 2021
As any Craigslist-poster attempting to part ways with an old mirror will tell you, it can be hard to photograph the glass without capturing your own reflection. In an attempt to remove themselves from the image, Craigslist sellers photograph mirrors from above, the side, hiding behind door frames, and take acrobatic positions to make only their hands visible. In desperate cases they resort to elaborate tripod rigging and self-timing cameras to escape the frame entirely.
What becomes clear in this elaborate choreography—between object, photographer, apparatus, and reflection—is that attempting to capture a mirror inevitably reflects what is behind you. Moving closer towards or backing away from the frame calibrates the field of vision, exposing different aspects of the capturer’s domestic environment. Only so much can be hidden: it’s unavoidable for your reflection to be partially captured.
Pidgin has always strived to be a place for reflection, and the current issue seems to reflect our present situation with all the inevitability of a craigslist photo . . . For us, this reflection is not about navel gazing or nostalgia, but about taking stock of the present, examining what changes are in motion, and using that examination to catalyze future inquiry and action.
Pidgin 29 includes contributions from:
Isabelle A. Tan, Noa Jansma, Emmanuel Osorno, Reese Lewis, Ang Li, Ana Peñalba, Billy Dufala, Jeff Tao, Rami Kanafani, Anna Renken, Malcolm Rio, Jennie Livingston, Oana Stanescu, Virgil Abloh, Nóra Al Haider, the students of New Spaces of Justice, Christine Boyer, Anthony Vidler, Maeliosa Barstow, Simon Lesina-Debiasi, Chris Myefski, Liz Gálvez, Neeraj Bhatia, Cesar Lopez, Ryan Roark, Erik Tsurumaki, Martín Cobas, Anna Gasha.
Spring 2021