A SEA OF SNAPSHOTS

Paris Photo 2009 performance fabien breuvart from Fabien Breuvart on Vimeo.

Craig McNeer recently told me about a video on YouTube, where Fabien Breuvart, in a bit of performance art, dumped garbage bags of anonymous found photos at the entrance of this past November's Paris Photo on opening night. He announced that they were free for the taking and stopped people in their tracks. Many people opted to go through these snapshots, delaying their entrance to view the fine art photography and sip champagne. Just the image of a sea of snapshots gives me goosebumps. Nothing makes me happier than a fresh lot of vintage snaps to sort through...Well, maybe a glass of wine to enjoy while I’m doing so. I started googling for more information on this event and found several other blog posts, in which some people called these snapshots "worthless." Whatever Breuvart’s intention was in this display, it certainly gets one thinking. Art is in the eye of the beholder and it is certainly true that "one man’s trash is another man’s treasure." I’ll take these treasures any day of the week.