Parallel Lines: Message in a Bottle
© Federica Belli, The Island
Written by Federica Belli
Though every job has its subtleties and tricks to help those within its respective industry survive and navigate it, I’ve learned that artists in photography rely on the aspects of a specific etiquette for the survival of themselves and their work. For instance, every young photographer has heard the sentiment, “Don’t you dare approach a gallerist,” or “You’ve got time to grow; don’t rush the process,” and “People will notice your work when you stop showing it.” And I must admit that – notwithstanding my initial idea that “you might all be right, but if one is good at what she does she will eventually get where you’re aiming at – no matter the etiquette” – the subtleties turned out to be vital. I gradually realized how everyone knows everyone in the industry, how there is no space for naïveté in the work scene and how fundamental it is to realize things take time.
What is the risk of realizing so early on the workings behind the photographic world? One ends up resting on their laurels, trusting their work will be exhumed over the years when some random critic stumbles upon their creations and says, “Wow! The world deserves to know about this.”
No approach could be further from reality.
© Federica Belli, Moi, c'est qui?
First of all, being a photographer nowadays involves much more than being good with framing. Being a photographer means having a vision, transmitting a message to someone and giving a boost to the cultural scene one is involved in. These days, involvement and authorship are the signs that distinguish great photographers. If no curator, gallerist, or cultural worker knows about one’s work and statement, how could they ever involve them in their initiatives and shows? How could the photographer define themself an artist when they aren’t influencing the culture around them, but merely getting influenced by it? Just like any other activity, photographic creation is stimulated by an exchange of ideas, an inter-pollination among photographers and the professions parallel to their work.
Parallel Lines was born for this reason, with the aim of creating a community of professionals parallel to photographers working to be everything but parallel and meet photographic works as often as possible.
© Federica Belli, Presence
I recently met one of the photographers I look up to the most in person, especially in terms of involvement and versatility of his visual language. What most amazed me is how he wonderfully phrased one of my core beliefs in this industry: one must never stop sending out messages in a bottle. You never know if or when they might come back, yet the mere possibility of it working out is enough to keep walking down the path, trusting that a doorway will open. Some bottles come back after merely a few weeks, yet they contain a disappointing answer. Some bottles get lost in the ocean and never come back. Some bottles, though, return years later – and they change our life. Trust the workings of life, and never stop reaching out to those you admire. You might soon find out that parallel lines are sometimes a bit bent.
