photography

went with max to see "in the face of history: European photographers in the twentieth century" exibit on at the barbican. it was pretty comprehensive, running from the first world war up to the present. i really like the collection by boris Mihailov. his "red" series really captured the kitschyness of the soviet union. max loved the pedantic sayings visible in the backgrounds of many of the photos (ex: kto chitaet, tot mnogo znaet") he swears they didnt have such things in poland, which i find astonishing, maybe he was just too young to remember. i have always thought such things were just an automatic part of the socialist experience, have seen these sorts of phrases plastered on walls and billboards from moscow to havana.....but maybe the poles escaped? the modern photos were really great, especially from the perspective of technology, it is amazing how far cameras have come in the last few decades....it all makes me want to go out and buy a new, great, expensive one....if only i had the money!

on the subject of max and poles, he told me a good jokeover coffee at the barbican cafe:
what is the difference between E.T. and a Pole in london?
E.T. spoke good english, had his own bicycle, and wanted to go home.