INTRODUCTIO
WELCOME!
simulacrum [sim-yuh-LAY-kruhm; -LAK-ruhm], noun;
plural simulacra [sim-yuh-LAY-kruh; -LAK-ruh]:
1. An image; a representation.
2. An insubstantial, superficial, or vague likeness or semblance.
ar·ca [ahr-kuh], noun:
1. A chest for valuables, used in medieval Spain and Italy.
2. A box, coffin, or cell.
lumis [loo-miss], slang:
1. Luminosity monitors.
2. Esperanto: “To shine”
The name of this blog, “SIMULACRA : ARCA LUMIS” also happens to be a palindrome, as is the subheading, SATOR AREPO TENET OPERA ROTAS, the infamous Sator Square (note that it reads backwards from every direction in every column). This is an ancient Latin word square which roughly translates to: The Great Sower holds in his hand all works; all works the Great Sower holds in his hand.
But I digress. I can’t speak a lick of Latin and I’ve never tried my hand at word squares (though I memorized “A man, a plan, a canal: Panama” and “God, a red nugget, a fat egg under a dog”); however, I am a bit of a shutterbug, known to spend hours culling over my voluminous collection of bizarre photos before posting them till the wee hours on my blog. If you came here by way of jazno.net, that site will eventually be overhauled to reflect the highlights herein (see last paragraph). I first became interested in photography at art school, where we were forced to learn basic black-and-white developing and printing in our foundational year, and I continued this interest by wittingly submitting to a tyrannical photography history professor (whose name shall go unmentioned) for two long semesters . Unfortunately, all I retained was “Bitumen of Judea” and “Nicephore Niepce.”
No, my love for the medium may have germinated as an errant lad, but it didn’t fully spring into fruition until I was an errant thirty-something in the throes of an early mid-life crisis. Like a balloonist throwing sandbags over his basket for ballast, I began selling anything that wasn’t bolted to the ground, including my Chet Atkins nylon-string electric and my Fender Satellite effects amp. What I bought in return was a new lease on life, a little illuminated box that made bug-like noises and miraculously freed me from the strictures of my own preconceived notions of reality. Suddenly, a trip to 7-11 became tinged with cosmic profundities, taking in a movie was now a chance for surreptitious social commentary, and an oil-change at Jiffy Lube was transformed into an exercise in abstract improvisation. I began experimenting with the open shutter, I tied the camera to my steering wheel, I mounted it to my hip on a dance floor, I shook it like an epeliptic in a cornpopper, I shot in infared in broad daylight, and made tripods out of wine glasses and the shoulders of passersby. This blog is a visual diary and a testament to my newfound desire to wring the sacred out of the mundane, and sometimes to profane the sentimental corners of American culture by simply reflecting it.
America notwithstanding, I have been living abroad for two years, lecturing and touring around Asia (thus the quasi-moratorium on uploads here). My home base is Singapore, which allows me unfettered and cheap access to southeast Asia. I have encountered anti-American demonstrations in Jakarta, a dead man on a park bench in Hanoi, subversive mannequins in Tokyo, women in full burkas on jet skis in Langkawi, unearthly gastronomic delights in Melaka, red shirts in Bangkok, and the madness of Singapore’s Little India on a Sunday night. I’m an equal opportunity photographer, taking photos of every conceivable subject and genre; however, I am still mainly a photographer of simulacra. To that end, I plan on having a large show upon my return to the states, in conjunction with a coffee table book focusing on mannequins, dolls, and effigies from around the world. I will be uploading this library of goodness on these pages, as well as building a new website in tandem with my updated blog, so do revisit the site whenever the mood hits you. I don’t have an official mailing list, mainly because I don’t want to be a generator of spam…so, if you’re interested in finding out more about upcoming shows, prints, or licenses, contact me directly at jazno.francoeur@mac.com. Or just wait for my formal site to launch!
Jazno Francoeur, 6/20/2010
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