Regardless of whether there is a trend or not towards advertorials the fact remains
that we're here free of charge
What I find distasteful,and I suppose it is a reflection of our times and consumer culture,
is the increasing number of 'star' landscape photographers who have become very financially
successful and who's success has spawned huge egos and massive machines to support,promote
produce and distribute their work complete with phony, 'spontaneous' video moments documenting
their successes.
As my father,a former award winning creative director says, "bullshit baffles brains"
Mark
But it gets bigger: do you remember the African artist who, in London, managed to get a gallery to exhibit 'artworks' made from elephant poop?
Now, I have nothing against the medium: being grass and sundry greens eaters, one might safely assume that elephant poop isn't all that different to cow poop, a relatively benign product not excessively accompanied by malodorous gasses which, such as they are, waft up into the skies and promote the faster travel of jets, all the while bearing the added benefit of, when sun-dried, providing fine material for fires and cooking upon. (It also provides a medicinal service when applied to a range of ills as a plaster - a sort of homeopathic appliqué.) But, as a medium for artistic self-expression, perhaps it says more than the galleristas understood. Or, they were in it, up to their eyes.
Rob C
As a footnote: I have just discovered that a banana, split lengthwise and squashed along the length of a piece of toasted baguette, then covered lightly with Spanish marmalade, makes for a decidedly pleasant snack. And it's cheap!
