documentary photography
Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance (Fall Festival, October 9-12) in Pittsboro, NC. The festival occurs twice a year, Fall and Spring, wooing thousands -- some trek from states as far as Vermont -- to revel in back-to-back performances in a natural playground for all ages.
(photographs taken at Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance Fall Festival, 2014)
Chapel Hill's 42nd annual Festifall Arts Festival coaxed thousands onto Franklin Street Sunday for an afternoon of brilliant blue skies and endless amusement. Here are some festival moments.
(photographs taken at the 42nd Annual Festifall Arts Festival on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill)
“Toleration is the greatest gift of the mind; it requires the same effort of the brain that it takes to balance oneself on a bicycle.”
(photograph taken off of Main Street in Carrboro)
Once gleaming, its copper portal has started to oxidize and its silver peak has faded. But at 12 feet tall, weighing in at about 500 pounds, it stands anchored on a Weaver Street corner lawn. The padlock on the handle adds to its allure. Those with a xenoarchaeological bent might do a double-take. But despite its cylindrical shape and looming size, this is no spacecraft or playground as young'uns might eagerly yearn. This interactive art installation is a metal spinning camera obscura -- one of photography's ancestors. Created by Josh Lev in 2011, "new Whirld" is intended to illustrate a person's environment from unexplored views, encouraging people to adopt new perspectives.
Folks enter the flue-shaped piece, close the door and behold a duplicate image of the outside world displayed on the inside wall of the steel structure. This occurs when sunlight enters the lens projecting a mirrored image inside the unlit room. Though reversed and upside down, the lens captures a clear image through the small hole, in both original proportion and hues. To heighten its effect, the interactive piece spins enabling folks to experience a 360-degree panoramic view of its surroundings.
Although unopened for hands-on use, it's on display in Carrboro. Detailed "how to use" instructions in a framed sign accompany the art installation.
(photographs taken on the corner of Weaver and Center streets in Carrboro)
(photographs taken on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill)
Val (left): "I work and shop and drink and have a radio show. Everything I do -- except sleep -- is in Carrboro. This is a very special place."
Jackie (right): "I was born in Indiana but I grew up in Carrboro. This, was my higher education."
Along with Val, Jackie (a.k.a. "Wac" Stern) hosts The Wacqueline Stern Show where each week the duo interviews a compass of arts professionals: visual, performing, writing, designing, producing...on and on. "We meet the coolest people," Jackie says over a drink at the Orange County Social Club in Carrboro.
The radio show broadcasts live from downtown Carrboro at 6 pm Fridays on WCOM 103.5 FM, Carrboro/Chapel Hill's volunteer radio station. From a 100-watt signal via an antenna at Mary Scroggs Elementary School in Southern Village, WCOM transmits more than 70 live shows each week -- proudly, programs are produced locally.
(photograph taken at Orange County Social Club on Main Street in Carrboro)
"It was totally meant to happen. It's what I was meant to do. Now I look at a 29-year-old and they look pretty young but at the time I was chomping at the bit to do it. Also I was a business major. I didn't just throw my guitar away and open a bar," says Tricia (photographed below), owner of Orange County Social Club, who opened the Carrboro bar 13 years ago. OCSC has a throwback vibe with a stocked jukebox and vinyl mod sofas. The beguiling art installation that spans the wall nudges patrons for attention. It was created by Tricia's husband, artist Charles Chace, and is loosely redolent of the SMPTE color bars that appeared on television screens when networks went "off air." Towards the back, a flashing pinball machine is tucked in a corridor that leads to an outdoor space. Step outside to a lounge shrouded in vines, illuminated by lanterns and the reflection of a mirrored disco ball. An iron monogramed backdoor swings open (or serves as a an exit) inviting locals -- faithfuls who show up day in and day out, week by week, year over year.
"I worked at Merge Records, a local record label. I just found that my instincts for work were more in the hospitality department than other things. At the time, I was filling a niche. Everyone whose first names I knew wanted a bar to open. At the time there wasn't happy hour type for the 20ish or 30ish people...A lot of people have met their partners here and that makes me very proud. Our motto is consistency. We keep the place going even keel and vibrant. It's not trendy. You know what you're going to get when you come in. There's a good vibe....sit and talk with your friends and not be bothered."
(photographs taken at Orange County Social Club located at 108 East Main Street in Carrboro. It's open seven days a week.)
(photographs taken on Roberson Street, a stone's throw from Greensboro Street in Carrboro)
Tucked in a warehouse near the corner of Estes Drive and MLK Jr. Blvd in Chapel Hill you'll find great deals on castoff desks, chairs, shelving, even electrical equipment. Remember overhead projectors? You can find these here. Outdated Macs, film reels, projection screens, oversized bulletin boards, preowned cellphones. If you're lucky, you can score old UNC baseball jerseys, lab coats, or a framed map of Orange County. UNC Surplus Property Retail Store can be a treasure trove for those on the hunt. When UNC departments or residence halls discard items no longer used, they head to the surplus store. An old wooden table can run about $20, and an ottoman with a mod flair about $15. Inventory changes daily. Open Tuesdays and Fridays only.
(photographs taken at the UNC Surplus Property Retail Store near Estes Rd & MLK Blvd in Chapel Hill)
"I started here right after 9-11. There was a guy who ended up working here who transplanted from [New York City] because he just couldn't be there. He didn't go to work that day because he had a hangover. That was the day everyone in his company was killed. If you are drinking and missing work, it's not good. He became a waiter here. He came here to kind of chill. One thing that Linda does -- she's an owner, she's a good person, cool -- she hires people with the way they approach the job. Most people only hire the ones with the most experience." - Seaja is a waitress at The Spotted Dog Restaurant & Bar, located in the "flat-iron" building shimmed between Main and Weaver streets in Carrboro. She lived in Carrboro for many years but has recently moved to the most western side of Saxapahaw.
(photographs taken at the Spotted Dog Restaurant & Bar, 111 E Main Street in Carrboro)