Thanksgiving (not) In America

Thanksgiving in America is, to some degree, my favorite holiday. It does not involve lots of gift shopping (if you chose to buy into that) as Christmas does. Rather it is a time to gather with family and friends to celebrate by sharing a meal. The history of the holiday and the exact date is disputed. Growing up I heard about it as a holiday when the ‘settlers’ celebrated with the Native Americans in a peaceful manner. As I recently researched there seems to be some controversy about that. The link above suggests that it was for giving thanks for the successful first harvest of the ‘settlers’.

Regardless, I have always felt it originated from the peaceful celebration with the natives who shared their knowledge, traditions and land and accepted the Europeans. Directly or indirectly as seen through history the actual fact of the celebration marked the beginning of the mass execution of the people and the culture of the Native Americans.

As you can see I have a very soft spot for the Native Americans in my heart because I so respect their rituals and attitudes about the land and each other. This is not to say that they, as any culture, do not have problems but I have always wondered if they were honored, respected and not destroyed as a culture how our world would be different. Some tribes had nomadic beliefs. When they moved they left the earth unmarked and did not devastate an area as the ‘settlers’ had. They showed constant respect for the mother world.

Anyway, being so far away from family tends to make me ‘home sick’ for the traditions (and food!) that Thanksgiving Day brings. Many times I’ve enjoyed spending days organizing, cooking and setting up for this celebration. It is a time when family and friends can gather to relax, celebrate and (over) eat. I recall as a kid waking up and smelling my mother’s cooking filling the house as she began to sauté for the stuffing. I would get up and go directly to the TV to watch the Macy’s Day Parade. It was as much of the holiday as was watching football all afternoon and evening. I was not much of a sports fan but to have a hardy meal then to lie flat on the couch (and nap) and watch the game has been a tradition all my life. One could also argue that making a turkey sandwich the next day was as good (or better) than the actual Thanksgiving Day meal.

As there are many Americans here in Croatia (and for that matter elsewhere in the world) during this holiday I often find that there are kind souls that like to celebrate in the traditional manor. My hosts’ Bob and Chris who work at the US Embassy spent many days (and many Kuna) in order to prepare for this celebration. They cooked two turkeys (Butterballs imported from North Carolina in the US)(‘Because the Croatian turkeys don’t taste the same’ Chris said) and had all the ‘fix’ins’ as we called it. The ‘fix’ins’ included: stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, two cranberry dishes, a wonderful bean salad and a few more. Dessert included pumpkin pie (of course with whipped cream), pecan pie, a wonderful tart, pumpkin bread and more. Of course there were many appetizers with eggnog, warm cider and wine when we arrived. To try to make it as authentic as possible Chris also tried to download an American football game but he did not have the proper connection.

There was also a photographer from ‘Ice & Pice’ Croatia’s gourmet food magazine (it means eating & drinking) who was there at the start of the meal to photograph a ‘traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Be sure to follow the link to the magazine to see the photos when they are published.

So much of my photographic work in Croatia has involved looking at the time I am here and wanting to not only make photographs of what I saw but I’ve also been obsessed with the concept of ritual and how we go through life often times without noticing insignificant or mundane events of our lives. I am constantly aware of how fortunate and privileged I am when I consider how many people in the world are out of work, homeless, suffering from abuse or in the middle of a war brought about by foreign interests. For me all of this awareness has been the result of my interest in travel and my curiosity (and questioning) of how we treat our world and all that inhabit it. Through traveling and through my lens I have become very thankful of what I have and was reminded again this Thanksgiving through the generosity of new friends.

Before I went to Chris’ house I was thinking that I would meet many people (I had not met Chris before this event), share a meal and leave with a full stomach and fond memories. What would remain for me beyond that are photographs. It is the way of my life and photographs offer a physical glimpse of what was. I learn so much by using the camera. Years from now the feeling of this event will remain but some of the edges will soften. If a picture is worth a thousand words then what are 786 pictures worth? For me this illustrates the dance of life that, beyond Thanksgiving, makes up our collective conciseness of the planet.

All Souls Day

A few weeks before November 1st I noticed much more activity in the flower market next to the Dolic fruit and vegetable market.

Someone told me about the activities that would take place in celebration of All Souls Day. A colleague said that she would be busy getting ready for the event by going to clean the gravesite and make trips to the flower market and yet another trip to get candles and then back to the cemetery to decorate graves and remember lost family members and friends.

Here in Zagreb just about everyone goes to Mirogj Cemetery. It is a museum of sculptures and acres of graves and mausoleums for those who have passed from this world.

Being there reminded me of a time when I was in Bologna, Italy and spent Easter in the cemetery. But for some reason this felt more solemn. It also reminded me that as a child in Catholic grade school All Saints Day was a day off from school after an evening of running around the neighborhood on Halloween gathering sugar from neighbors by ‘trick or treating’. When I was quite young I never really understood what we should do by way of ‘tricks’ if someone did not ‘treat’ us. *

It was quite a site walking around the cemetery seeing the beautiful graves…

…and all the people paying homage to those who have passed.

As this was a national event of course the media was in force covering it.

As the sunset a beautiful moon arrived and the landscape came alive.

For those who have departed, many who walked in this cemetery on All Souls Day, they would be happy to see so many pausing and celebrating in sorrow for their loved ones.

*In America we used to go out the night before Halloween, called ‘Devils Night’, and soap cars and toss toilet paper and raw eggs all over someone’s house we had a grudge against. I remember that on our block lived a police office and we stole his pumpkin and smashed it all over the street and ran away. Later that same evening he caught up to us and knew we did it but could not prove it; even after looking under our fingernails for shards of pumpkin. We were quite devilish, but just pulling prinks. With all the things we did I was impressed that we got away with so much. I also recall standing up on a terrace and pitching eggs on passing cars. One guy stopped and got out of the car and started yelling. For us, because of the distance, he invited us to sharpen our tossing skills and of course my toss landed directly on his shinny baldhead. (I never was much good or interested in sports but for some strange reason when I was doing something like this my aim was always perfect!)

Photodistorzija in Porec, Istria

A few weeks ago I went to Porec a small village on the Istrian peninsula. A colleague, Jelena Blagovic, has a photographic exhibition entitled: Before Me. Her work is a series of wonderful interpretive images made from her mother’s love letters received between 1968 and 1981. They had been stored away for years and Jelena examined them as a way to “get to know a previously unknown part of her character and personality”.

When she first explained the project I was unsure how she would present them so they would not be mere literal copies of the documents. Before the exhibition she sought my advice and I was immediately impressed with the volume of the letters and her simple, yet sophisticated way of photographically interpreting them. There are about twenty images in the exhibition. Some have subtle parts of the image in focus that reveal critical words that describe the suitor’s feelings about their affection for her. With other images the minimal focus shows post-marks from different parts of Europe as the men traveled and worked in the armed forces. Considering the subject, the images are quite varied and sophisticated in their levels of meaning. Her lighting technique is simply using window light through shades.

This photo shows her mother and father in front of a letter he sent her that included an image of them both. It was sent about 1980. His letters, it should be mentioned, were some of the last love letters she received. When discussing the project with her father he was not interested in reading the ‘other’ letters.

Her exhibition was part of yet another biennale. They are every other year exhibitions that showcase work by artists. The first, and arguably still the most important, was the Venice Biennale . It started in the late 1800’s and followed shortly by the Carnegie Biennale (or the Carnegie International as it is known). The Carnegie Mellon foundation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (my hometown) has supported the arts and literature ever since its formation by Andrew Carnegie and Andrew Mellon, whom made a fortune in the steel industry. Part of Carnegie’s fortune was used to build public libraries across the US.

There are now hundreds of biennales scattered around the globe. As with the Biennales of Venice & the Carnegie, they are made up of invited artists often representing different states or countries that present their best of current-working artists. The photodistorzija photo biennale is made up of mostly Croatian photographers with others from Eastern Europe and Italy. The procedure for being a part of this is to submit work for review and if accepted be included in either a group exhibition in a large wonderful hall or have a solo exhibition in one of the many galleries spread throughout the village of Porec. Based on that I would say that it is a regional biennale although, I would assume they would review work from all over the world if work is submitted and if the event was properly advertised.

What amazes me about so many museums I see away from the US is that they often converted wonderful villas with extravagant thick walls and decorative ceilings. The group exhibition was held in a converted church.

The individual exhibitions (three floors) were held in the Zuccato Palace that was the home of some rich guy named Zuccato. This image shows Jelena and her father documenting the exhibition.

Some of the work was extra-ordinary while others were quite ordinary.

Some works were displayed in unusual surroundings.

I tell my students that there are photo competitions everywhere and it’s a good way to get their work out there and make contacts. Years ago I entered a small competition in Colorado and the juror was the director of a fine gallery in NYC. He accepted my work into the show. Later I went to NYC and showed him my portfolio and was included in one of his exhibitions. So, the point is to get your work out there, build your resume and make contacts.

While I was in Porec I was told to be sure and visit the Eufrazijeva Bazilika (The Basilica of Euphrasius). It is listed as a Unesco World Heritage site and is built on the remains of an earlier tri-navel basilica that dates back to the first half of the 6^th century during the period of Bishop Euphrasius. In the church you can see the excavated (holes in the floor) mosaics that remain. It was finished into its current condition in the 1600’s.

Worn Away

A Side Alter

Outside the Church

Also Worn Away

Ever Watchful

Turned Away Due to Insufficient Dress

Other Images from Porec