Dodge & Burn: Art Basel Miami:
Small mushroom piece inside of the SEVEN exhibit. Photo by John E. Ramspott.
“Art Basel Miami Beach (ABMB) 2011 presented quite a few unique opportunities for photographers. The huge Convention Center featured a large variety of sculptures, installations, and other unique art objects from around the world. Nearby Collins Park hosted a large collection of outdoor, public art. I enjoyed capturing the interplay between visitors and these objects.
What really makes this five-day event special is all of the surrounding art events, most of which are in walking distance. Some are official parts of ABMB, while others are independent but running at the same time to take advantage of the large crowds that come to Miami Beach from all over the world.
While walking the beach, I encountered a performance piece by Jen DeNike, in which five girls in white dresses danced around a star made of sand. Five dancers stood in for each of the five points of the star. It was beautiful to watch, and easy to photograph. It was like working with five models that I didn’t have to give any direction to at all.
Floating art at the International Art Show at Surfcomber Hotel. Photo by John E. Ramspott.
Jen DeNike gives public performance on Miami Beach. Photo by John E. Ramspott.
This breast brought to you by the Rubell Family Collection. Photo by John E. Ramspott.
Mr. Chow, a fancy night club at the bottom of the W Hotel, held an exclusive party Friday night, rumored to have P. Diddy and other VIPs in attendance. While I was not admitted, I was able to watch all the beautiful people and cars arrive, and surreptitiously took a few pictures from outside of the party looking in. The artwork was illuminated, and so I was able to create silhouettes of attendees through the blocking cloth. I did attend the Art Now pool party, where synchronized swimmers materialized, performed, and disappeared back into the ether. Shooting swimmers at night was challenging, but fun; I am pleased with how those images came out.
Synchronized swimmer performs at Art Now pool party. Photo by John E. Ramspott.
Mirror art inside Art Basel convention center. Photo by John E. Ramspott.
Film projected on transparent piece at Aqua Event. Photo by John E. Ramspott.
Shot from inside an art installation made from beads at ABMB. Photo by John E. Ramspott.
Public video art against the Bass Museum by Collins Park. Photo by John E. Ramspott.
The Aqua Show (named for the Aqua Hotel hosting the event) had some Atlanta artists, like Sarah Emerson in the Whitespace Gallery room and students from Georgia State University in another. I photographed a few works on display at Aqua, including a video being projected onto an art work that looked like a small wall built from irregularly shaped, translucent bricks.
ABMD provided a large variety of shapes, live performances, reflective surfaces, large crowds, and some interesting lighting to make photographing the event a fruitful and engaging experience.”
(Via BURNAWAY.ORG.)