The photographers at the Vii collective represent a multitude of backgrounds, and similarly, they are stationed around the world from Chile, to Cameroon, to Bangladesh. Since Vii was established in 2001, their photos are shot primarily in digital format, as opposed to Magnum’s use of film throughout much of the collective’s industry. To that, Vii presents photos in both black and white and in color. Vii covers current events like “Iowa: Republicans”, by Danny Wilcox Frazier, but also focuses on “visual storytelling” of cultural focus through pieces like “A Detroit Requiem”, also documented by Frazier. The small size of Vii makes for a more exclusive feel within the group itself, but I find it interesting that the collective also advertises their multitude of partnerships, alongside workshops that are open to the public.
The two photographers I chose to focus on are Danny Wilcox Frazier, and Sim Chi Yin. As Wilcox Frazier is based in Iowa, I found the contrast between him and Beijing-based Chi Yin to be interesting. Despite being stationed on opposite sides of the world, both photographers portray political photographs in their own right, and both capture the everyday lives of ordinary people, often times in poverty-stricken areas. I found Wilcox Frazier to be unique in that he’s based in the Midwest, rather than a large city. Similarly, Chi Yin is one of the only women in the Vii collective, making both photographers unique from a “typical” male, city-based photographer that we so often see in both Vii and Magnum.
The first photo by Wilcox Frazier is from his series, “A Detroit Requiem”. The series depicts the East Side in “America’s poorest largest city”, with photos of decay, murder, and poverty-stricken communities. The photo itself depicts Da’Rius Brown, a toddler, running “through garbage in the driveway of an abandoned house that sits next to his home”. The boy is almost naked—he wears just a diaper. The photo is shot in black and white and assumedly in digital format, but the entirety of the composition is blurry and depicts movement. For me, the photo resonated with the work of Robert Capa on D-day and during the Spanish Civil War. Wilcox Frazier’s series does depict a “warzone” in a way. With high murder rates and abandoned property with debris, Da’Rius is running through and toward danger whether he wants to or not. To that, life still continues for the people who live in this area of Detroit. The fact that Da’Rius is wearing only a diaper speaks to his vulnerable state. Similarly, his parents are not in the photo, which yields to a certain feeling of chaos and freedom that speaks to the larger themes of Detroit.
Da’Rius Brown runs through garbage in the driveway of an abandoned house that sits next to his home on the East Side of Detroit, Michigan. Da’Rius has lost two uncles, De’Erion Sherrors and Chaise Sherrors, both shot to death on Detroit’s East Side.
The second photo I chose from Wilcox Frazier is from his series titled, “Iowa Political Circus”—a series in which he follows various US presidential candidates’ campaigns around Iowa in the days leading up to the caucus. The photo depicts a café in Iowa City, Iowa captioned, “Supporters and voters listen as New Jersey Governor Chris Christie speaks at the Hamburg Inn No. 2”. The photo depicts a crowd of predominantly white men gathered in the Hamburg Inn facing leftward, but Chris Christie is noticeably not in the composition. The photo becomes political only in context. Normally, the viewer would merely see this photo as just a crowded café, but in this case, Wilcox Frazier’s caption gives the photo context since its purpose is not self-explainable on its own. When the caption provides the viewer with knowledge that the people depicted in the photo are listening to Chris Christie, an opinion is automatically formed. To that, the viewer perceives the photo based on their own view, despite the photo being objective and lacking a central focus. To the uninformed viewer, the people in the photo are merely present (the black and white image doesn’t allow any particular person to stand out), but the caption itself gives the viewer insight into these peoples’ ideologies, which yields to judgment.
Supporters and voters listen as New Jersey Governor Chris Christie speaks at the Hamburg Inn No. 2 in Iowa City, Iowa.
The first photo I chose from Sim Chi Yin is from her series titled, “The Water Seller”. The series is set in a quickly-developing Myanmar, but Chi Yin follows the lives of water-sellers who rely on Myanmar’s lack of bottled water to make a profit. The color photo that I chose depicts Chit Min Oo, a water-seller, drawing a “tattoo” on his arm in ballpoint pen. The photo states that Min Oo “can often be found either smoking cigarettes or doodling. He has a reputation for being good at doodling on the train, other water-sellers often ask him to tattoo them with his ballpoint pen”. The design of the tattoo itself could be influenced by Western culture and the idea of globalization that is contributing to Myanmar’s development, but it certainly serves as a contrast to the normally grueling workday that water-sellers endure. This photo gives character to Min Oo, who may only be viewed in a one-dimensional way by the (likely Western) viewer. The photo also speaks to the idea of an innate human nature to find free time and enjoy leisurely activities—this is common among everyone, and the viewer can resonate with this photo in some sense.
The second photo I chose from Chi Yin is from her series titled, “The Great Divide”. The series exposes the huge gap between rich and poor in Beijing—an issue caused by a lack of socioeconomic mobility within the city. The photo is captioned, “A worker talks on the phone in front of an advertisement for luxury goods”, and depicts a modestly dressed man on a (non-smartphone) cell phone leaning on a cart in front of a photo of an Omega watch. Compositionally, he is at the bottom of the image and the ad of the luxury watch towers over him, larger than life. At the same time, the worker and his cart take up almost exactly half of the photo, allowing the viewer to note his presence and the watch equally. There is no middle-ground in the photo, which can point to the idea that Chi Yin is trying to portray within the series—the disparity between rich in poor creates a huge gap in Chinese culture. To that, the worker depicted in the photo will likely never be able to afford the Omega watch behind him.
Dear Mia,
I like this choice of phrase: “Wilcox Frazier’s series does depict a ‘warzone’ in a way.” Moreover, I like the lineage you see from Capa in terms of the use of black and white. What else might you say about Frazier’s decision to show b&w? How does it affect your reception of the imagery?
I very much like the second Frazier photo you chose. I’d also like you to elaborate on this: “the caption itself gives the viewer insight into these peoples’ ideologies, which yields to judgment.” What are the insights you glean? What are the people’s ideologies? What judgments are formed?
As regards the final image you discuss, by Sim Chi Yin, it strikes me that this image could be from any of many major metropolises, NYC included. What to make of that observation? Is this image “translatable” across cities? Is it “transferrable”? And to what end?