Objects of Desire

Objects of Desire.
Okay, so we've already established that I'm an idiot. But what makes me an idiot? Well, one of the stupid things I do to get my kicks is walk around acting strange. Not just any strange. In your face strange. But not offensively so, just in a obvious, "What's wrong with that guy?" sort of way.

I like to ask people to hold things while I take their picture. Complete strangers. Cow-orkers. Whoever.

So far I have asked people to pose with a ruler,

a fork,

an abacus, and a Pea Whirler
I haven't gotten the abacus pictures into any sort of web enabled form yet, but I'm planning a bit on life in California after the lights went out. Stay tuned.

So what's the point of all this? Well, it's sort of an inside joke, actually. Usually, when I interact with the people I'm photographing, I'm in character as Eugevney Zoltanovich, who has a rather thick accent. My friends from Europe tell me Eugevney sounds, how can I say it...well...retarded, although I believe Eugevney prefers the term brain damaged. But anyway, I like to pick objects that make a bit of a pun when Eugevney pronounces their names. Or that create a bit of thematic confusion in the picture.

Take, for example, the ruler. If you look at the pictures and read the text, there's a tendancy to wonder if they're really about the same thing. My friends in the know, who fully comprehend the visual sub-text, wonder how I got the photos. I asked politely, and explained the text that would accompany them. It wasn't hard at all.

With the fork, I first got the idea while planning a trip to a ship in San Francisco. When Eugevney says "Ship Forking" it sounds more like "Sheep Forking". "Those kinky Americans, they were forking all over that sheep. And then I found them forking all over the street."

Believe it or not, most of the Fork subjects didn't understand what was going on. Those that did, really enjoyed it. I love this country.

So what about the Pea Whirler? Well, that little widget is something I whipped up as an X-mas gift for The X-word Girl. When Eugevney says, "Whirled Peas," it tends to sound like, "World Peace." If you've been in Califonia for a while, you've seen the bumper sticker: "Visualize Whirled Peas." So I ran around on New Years Eve asking people to help me make "World Peace." After reading the label, most people got the joke. You can tell by their facial expressions, and in one case a young man's hand gesture, how they feel about it.

I asked three different cops to pose for me with the Pea Whirler. They all refused. And acted rather put upon as well. I think they have the kind of job that forces them to worry about their image a lot. That's kind of too bad.

Well, I hope you enjoy what you see. If you have any great ideas for silly things to photograph, be sure to drop me a line.