CDagcon

[CasedImage]

A idea for discussion, but what do folk think about the idea of a Contemporary Daguerreotypes conference separate from the Daguerreian society meetings? We are a small and geographically diverse group so logistically it may be a challenge but perhaps a biennial meet up might be feasible.

August 2009 will be 170 years since the detailing of Daguerre’s process and a gathering to share in dag making might be fun and bear good fruits.

As to location my two pennies worth worth be Bry-sur-Marne, just outside of Paris and Daguerre’s town and resting place. Such a meeting could possibly be liased with the Daguerre association in Bry so that facilities could be on hand for the Dag making, a visit to Daguerre mansion etc.

www.CasedImage.com

[jdanforth]

Kudos to Alan for coming up with a good name and a good location suggestion!

My thoughts on the matter are that the summit should:
– be in a different location every time spread all over the world for maximum ease of access
– access to a community sensitizing / developing facility
– at least one "scholarship" funded by the other participants to bring a person to the summit that otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend

[Jillian]

Let’s see if I can figure out how to use this forum! haha. I love the idea of a contemporary gathering, and in Paris?? Fabulous. Let me know how I can help to assist in getting this group going. I like what you’re saying, Jon, about the possibilities this group can offer.

[Jon Lewis]

Jillian, welcome to the forum!

Great idea Alan and I think Jonathan’s ideas are also right on. Most importantly, in my opinion, is the access to equipment or an area where equipment can be safely set up for demonstrations and the like.

Here in Santa Fe, Bostick and Sullivan puts on the APIS conference every other year and I imagine cdagcon could be a similar format.

[CasedImage]

I think Biennial would be the way to go and for practicality locations within the US, but the 170th anniversary beckons Bry. Indeed facilities for Practitioners to ply there art would be a priority.I think there is a bit of history to meetings of Cdagists outside of Daguerreian Society gatherings, I even have a aging tshirt from one:

www.CasedImage.com

[TheDagLab]

Sounds like a great opportunity not to be missed. Also sounds expensive so I better start saving now!
Making dags there is a MUST. How about some of us bring a "piece" of their equipment with them to assemble a truly contemporary dag studio. Of course what ever will be allowed on the airlines.

[Andy Stockton]

The gathering sounds like a fantastic idea. What do the airlines allow?

[jdanforth]

Andy_Stockton wrote:The gathering sounds like a fantastic idea. What do the airlines allow?

I have never had any trouble traveling on a plane with equipment: tripod, camera, finished daguerreotypes, unsensitized plates, and even an empty sensitizing box. I would not attempt to travel with any chemicals at all. The planning people would need to assure that there would be chemicals ready and waiting at the site.

We’ll have a pre-arranged address near the site to accept parcels containing whatever individual artists may want to have but not lug around the airport.

I like the biennial idea quite a bit.

I could possibly swing early August 2009 although I’d prefer later in the year. I have another convention to attend 8/27 through 8/31… The Miniature Book Society Conclave! Woot! http://www.mbs.org.

OK, lets talk names:
Convention
Congress
Conclave
Gathering
What-Have-You
Turnout
Assembly
Convocation
Roundtable
….?
DaguerreoTime 2008 (my favorite )

[Jon Lewis]

"Convocation of the League of Contemporary Daguerreotypists"

Something long and dramatic!

[CasedImage]

For piece of mind and honest confidence in dealing with the border control people the best option is to post chemicals and mercury ahead to your destination. But otherwise there is no reason you should have a empty mercury pot, fuming boxes and gilding stand in your check in luggage. I always have a dag at the ready to explain and after a few minutes about me droning on about the process they are glad to be sending me on my way.Mercury itself is on the big no-no list for items to be taken aboard a plane. Apparently in the past, nefarious individuals have poured out mercury into planes from there passenger seats. The result is that the mercury makes its way down through the fuselage and eventually eats through it (Mercury has dissolves aluminium over time) rendering the plane a write off.As to a time of year to be meeting, the detailing of the process makes a momentous anniversary date though this may be not without problems. August can be unbearably hot in Paris and the Parisians leave on mass as they head off for the holidays so many business are not open, but then maybe accommodation might cheaper.There is also the first week of June – the most fantastic of all photography flea markets occurs in a little town just south of Paris – Bierves. The town has a Photography museum that has 15000 cameras, most on display. The streets of the town are packed with photo dealer tables from all over Europe. See attached images of this years meet. Not that I’m suggesting a different location for CDagcon but it would give a great daytrip from the "Dagbase" of Bry.Later than August and the meet will compete with peoples big trip of the year to the Daguerreian society symposium, which this year coming is going to be in Philadelphia.

www.CasedImage.com

[jdanforth]

A friend of mine suggested that we make “Dag Camp” which would literally be a camping trip of some kind. I LOVE this idea! Thoughts?

[jdanforth]

A friend of mine suggested that we make “Dag Camp” which would literally be a camping trip of some kind. I LOVE this idea! Thoughts?

[Andy Stockton]

I don’t know if everyone wants to rough it, but if we could include a workshop on making landscapes/natural world dags sucessfully I would sure try to come.

[Andy Stockton]

I don’t know if everyone wants to rough it, but if we could include a workshop on making landscapes/natural world dags sucessfully I would sure try to come.

[Administrator]

An opportunity for a gathering of Daguerreotypists and/or a Exhibition of contemporary daguerreotypes in the Daguerre’s town of Bry sur Marne presents itself on this the 170th year since the annoucement of the process.

Marc Kereun, president of the Daguerre Association of France has responded to the concept (see below) and we would like to hear your thoughts on it.

Even if you could not make the journey, would you be willing to submit Daguerreotype(s) for exhibiting in Bry?

The third week of September sounds like a good time as it gives some for everyone to prepare for a trip or to ready material for an exhibition.

For those Daguerreotypists that do attend the opportunity presents itself here to organise a set up for producing Daguerreotypes at the event. Another idea is that workshops could be offered by those that do this on a regular basis.

Comments can be left here or in the Dagforum topic

________________________________________

From Marc Kereun;

“The celebration of the annoucement of the daguerreotype process is a good opportunity to our Association “Louis Daguerre, le magicien de l’image” to remind of the genius of Daguerre, 170 years after. In 2001, we had contributed to the organization of exhibition on the work of Daguerre, on the occasion of the 150th birthday of its death in Bry.

Then, an exhibition of contemporary daguerreotypes gathering daguerreotypists authors in Bry would be a great event in the photographic agenda 2009.

The Association Louis Daguerre, with the collaboration of the Commune of Bry-sur-Marne, would be happy to study with you the organization of these cultural events.

For the date, it would be interesting to couple exhibition with event : ” les Journes du patrimoine ” (at about the 3rd weekend of September) during which the persons will be able to visit the workshop of restoration of the Diorama (1842) of Daguerre in Bry.”

________________________________________

[pruts]

Helloooooooo from Belgium,

I am certainly interested to follow a workshop on making daguerreotypes.

It is almost impossible for me to follow a course in the US.

Good luck with this organisation ….

Marc /Antwerp / Belgium

[CasedImage]

Thought I would resurrect this thread for posterity. I was curious to see where the idea for the exhibit came from and this is the embryo of it. So wierd to look back at it and now look at the images of the exhibit. It goes to show the beneficial effect of cdags.org and the internet age is having on the genre, its nice to extrapolate and think where will we be in another years time….

www.CasedImage.com

[Andy Stockton]

Congratulations to all, what a great event. The exhibits looked grand. Maybe we should promote the idea with the people in Bry of doing a big contemporary exhibit every five years (175th, 180th, etc.) The interval would give people time to prepare special work and also to save up funds to make the trip if coming from farher away.

[jdanforth]

I have been talking with the French daguerreotypists about this exhibition for about three years. I wish that cdags were the embryo for it but sadly not in this case!

Having returned from France I have been reflecting (no pun intended) on what I liked the most about the experience. It was tremendous for my spirit to compare artistic and technical notes with the daguerreotypists in Bry. I would love an occasion like this every couple of years. As we’ve said before though, the Daguerreian Symposium isn’t the right venue.

[Author]

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