Trash Tuesday #91; Where Getting it Cheap is Part of the Esthetic
by Pasadena Adjacent
Take a seat, “the editor’s” seat. If you recall, Trash Tuesday #90 introduced the Not so available (library/school room/lawyer) oak chair. The above is the lawyer version, and it was NOT so cheap. But it was available. And it was in the possession of a fellow, who like so many of the people I know, has lost his livelihood to the digital camera. His photo studio near La Brea on Venice blvd has now become a partcial storage unit for his “getting it cheap and selling it for more to feed his family” esthetic. We hit it off and had conversations about “The business” the miracle of Photoshop applications, the unrealistic demands at half the pay, the disappearance of processing labs etc… For example, instead of spending 4-6 hours to light a interior shot at one location, then the shoot itself, your given four locations in a day and expected to drive all over hell and back to do them all (not to mention the permissions that might be involved.) Sad. But he has done some beautiful work and it’s in print. The Last Remaining Seats; Movie Palaces of Tinseltown (yes, we discussed the Rialto – in the book). Sacred Spaces; Historic Houses of Worship in the City of Angels (the Mormons wouldn’t allow him into their temple and later regretted it). He’s currently finishing up a book on the Cemeteries of the City of Angels (Altadena is in it). Plus he’s going to let me know when he gets another chair in like this one. Said he used to get them by the bulk (he must be connected). This one is weathered and will require some work. It came from a Junior College in the San Fernando Valley circa 1957.
Pasadena Adjacent 
In the Editor’s neighborhood of Pasadena Adjacent Highland Park, trash collection takes place on a Tuesday. The night before is a good time to canvas the neighborhood for castaways. It’s great sport. We use Tuesday on our blog to post the Editor’s treasures. If we haven’t scored any good curbside finds “Trash Tuesday” becomes “Tag Sale Tuesday” where the phrase “getting it cheap is part of the esthetic” still remains apropos
“Getting it cheap is part of the esthetic” was coined by photographer D Gordon
http://www.dgorton.com/
The Editor
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That’s really good, though sad, info you offer about the effects of digital photography. I’ve bumped into it in one or two situations where I encountered someone who’d depended on and been trained in traditional film, and now . . . . I also think this new “do it in a hurry” ethos is going to hurt us big somewhere down the road. I can’t foresee the particulars, of course, but it makes me uneasy. Some things just cannot be rushed. And I’m saying this as someone who, for his age and training, has sort of crossed to the dark side, the internet.
I’ll check this guy’s work with fresher eyes, in a day or two.
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What a great chair. I ordered his Last Remaining Seats book for my dad, when it first came out. Such beautiful photos! So sad to hear of his current situation.
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Yep. That’s a good chair. You could do some serious sitting, thinking and working in that chair, and no doubt you will. and/or eating and drinking. I’m glad you helped out the photographer too, although sad for the anonymous soul who gave up the chair for cheap.
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It’s a wonderful chair.
I’m sympathetic to the photographer’s plight, although historically speaking, this always happens. We have to prepare for it. The horse and buggy were replaced by the car, electric lights replaced gas lights, digital replaced film…John said he wanted to borrow a stereo component for a prop and nobody has one because it’s all ipods now. No matter what you do for a living you have to keep your eyes open for change, because change always happens.
Except that chair. That kind of chair will always be a good chair.
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I will check out the links, later.
Nice chair. Sad story.
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The chair. What more functional item do we have and what has more design permutations than the chair? Have you ever seen the Taschen book 1000 Chairs by Charlotte & Pete Fiell, it beautifully covers chair design over the last 150 years. “…the chair is the most designed, studied, written about and celebrated artifact of the modern area.”
My personal favorite occupies page196…also seen in the Three Seasons video credits: red chair design.
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I’m a sucker for wooden chairs. Once I got one at an auction in a remote village in England and had to carry it home on three different buses. You can imagine all the Chairwoman jokes I got. Alas, my love of beautiful shiny wooden chairs has also led me to buy several unusable ones, like the cane-bottomed bedroom chairs too delicate to sit on. The old English kitchen chairs I found in junk shops and had stripped of their many layers of paint soon fell apart, alas, as the paint stripping bath also undid the glue.
What an interesting but unfortunate guy you met. I wonder what happened to the owners of all the film developing stores that I used to take my cameras to until about 6 years ago? In many ways, it was better – I had tangible photos that went into an album. Now they’re all on Picasa and no-one ever sees them.
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I am always looking for a chair like that at my place of work. I keep wondering if I can just walk off with it for you. I wonder if anyone would notice or say anything.
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Well, yeah, kind of. But those chairs look like punishment to me. You can’t curl up your legs or cozy into a corner. It’s like a teacher’s chair.
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Hiker has a point: it’s not the most comfortable chair but it looks good and solid. I like how the arms curve. Sad about this guy’s livelihood and his struggles. But he’s talented and resourceful and it sounds like he’s doing great work despite his challenges. Good you made a connection with him and helped him out with a purchase. I can’t wait to see what you do with this lawyer’s chair.
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I’m kinda surprised about your friend losing his livelihood in photography. Am I naive? Having never used a film camera, I regret not having that “classical” training. I would think that a film background would carry over to digital so well. Anyway, his work is rich and beautiful, the themes interesting, historic, and iconic. About the chair: I think as long as I had a pillow on the seat, it would do wonders for my posture!
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A very good chair, indeed! I have the tilt version without armrests and use a foam cushion as well as an inflatable air cushion (great thing!) on mine.
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I used to have a fleet of those in oak I had to leave them behind when I moved from Minnesota to Florida and today they would be worth a pretty penny. Your friend does beautiful work and I’m sorry he’s struggling along with the rest of us. I don’t seem right.
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Apparently, I forgot how to type…
forget the “them” in line one and add a “t” to the “I” in the last line. Thanks so much.
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