A Joachim Schmid Experience

A couple of weeks ago on one of my aimless browsing trips at Strand Bookstore I came across, Joachim Schmid: Photoworks 1982-2007. I was captivated with the book and with Joachim Scmid. I began formulating a review of it in my head to later blog about. However, in the meantime I stumbled across 5B4 and saw Jeff beat me to it. I was discouraged and decided not to write anything about it, but my experience today changed my mind. And seeing as how Jeff already wrote background on Schmid's books I can skip to the good stuff. So if you aren't familiar with Schmid's work or haven't read the blog at 5B4 go read it before you finish here.

In brief what I thought of Joachim Schmid: Photoworks 1982-2007.: It functions as a great introduction to Schmid's work. There are great reproductions and a good sampling of images from his various projects. It also has a number of essays which shed further light on the work. It is a definite read for those who aren't familiar with Schmid. However, reading about his fascination with artist books and the number of different works he has put out made me want to own those rather than a second generation compilation. It's like a greatest hits album, who wants to own one when you already have the bands entire collection. Well I didn't own any of Schmid's books but Photoworks made me want to.

Sadly, I have not been able to find Very Miscellaneous which is one of my favorite projects. Today though I picked up a copy of Belo Horizonte, Praça Rui Barbosa and Tausend Himmel. Both books are intimate little collections. They are in size about 4"x5.5" The photographs fill the entire page, front and back, and there are artist statements at the end of each. I have been increasingly interested in books of this type that are simple, inexpensive, and accessible to a large audience. Schmid has been quite prolific in producing works that fit that description.


Belo Horizonte, Praça Rui Barbosa is a wonderful little book, I am biased of course given my affinity for the humble folk of Brasil. It features found portraits of humble Brazilians. The images were originally taken by street photographers for the customers to be used on id cards and government documents. After prints are given to the customers the negatives are discarded. Schmid spent time in Brasil and made the habit of collecting the discarded negatives before they were swept away by street cleaning crews.


Tausend Himmel features photographs of helicopter noise. Schmid suffered from hyperacusis and as a type of therapy turned the irritating sound of the helicopters into something positive by photographing it.

If finding those two books today wasn't enough having a person Joachim Schmid type experience sure topped things off. After purchasing the books, doing some errands, and visiting some galleries I began heading for home. When en route I happened upon some negatives on the ground! It was a-a-a-amazing (writing amazing like that is one of my current favorite things). I saw them. My heart skipped a couple-o-beats. I lunged for them like a chubby boy for sweet, sweet candy and when I arose I was just as happy. There was a lady on the corner and I was surprised that she hadn't beat me to them. She wasn't interested. I was glowing from there on home. And for your viewing pleasure, here is one of the shots:



One final note, the previous post, The Institute for the Reprocessing of Used Photographs, also happens to be one of Joachim Schmid's projects. I published it below uncredited to give readers a feel of what it may have been like to have come across that ad in a newspaper, where it originally appeared. The project was hugely successful and served as source material for several of his following projects, quite the genius hoax if you ask me.