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Sunday
Feb222009

a twist - no shouting

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What would our local luminary TJ, guide, hypocrite, and gauge in all things political, architectural, and human have to say about the current state of access to the building which he built and which this chunk of marble now stands?

Calling the requisite authorities to get clearance to photograph in the Rotunda at the University of Virginia, I was told I could carry a camera into the building, as any other member of the general public was permitted to do. But that I could not bring a tripod on which to place the camera, or an easel on which to place a book in order to continue my Landscapes in the Landscape project. The use of tripods denotes some kind of professional use of equipment, and there is no circumstance in which professional usage of the premises is permitted unless it has something to do with university programming.

This seems rather arbitrary, but of course it's one more instance of officials needing to control images created on premises within their spheres of influence, be they public or private. There seem to be three options at this point: 1) carry the Linhof in the backpack into the building, conceal a tripod and go outlaw anyway; 2) get to the point where I can use the Linhof hand held; 3) use something other than the 4 x 5 which can be more readily hand held.

Is this what laws are intended to do to us, make us into outlaws in order to control us against our own natures?

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