ANTHROPOLOGY OF A CHRISTMAS SNAPSHOT

I just got back from florida. a natural wonderland and also a playground for an interesting breed of materialism. I do think that the more lush the land, the potentially greedier the people. for how or why should humans resist luxury if it is so readily available? and yet. . .in this place all you need are flip flops and a fishing hook to survive. oh, well, so is the fate of beautiful places . . .that they'll be smothered in commercialism.

This is a scan of a christmas card given to my friend skip by his older brother. I think if it survives (and perhaps I have increased its chances) into the future, it will make a good image for art history. I had noticed the photo on that quintessential glass side table of framed photos at skip's dad's. . .snapshots galore, all following strict convention. this one stood out among the bunch of 'em. (later when skip showed me his personal copy, I asked if I could scan it and publish it because I thought it was so exceptional.)

I love the professional lighting combined with the perfect sunset on the beach. the whole family dressed in planned casual white clothing. but it's the expressions on their faces that really make this a valuable image beyond initial family use. this family is oozing confidence and happiness and florida privilege at a crashing moment in history! its rather intoxicating, even if it's fiction. . .and that I'll never know. mom looks fit and beaming, dad too. . .skip said they both worked on their tans in preparation for the photo. but the expression of the children are especially delightful. the little girl's gesture of embrace seems so fresh and authentic. . .it is clear that the youngest boy is indeed dear to her. and yet, if you look at the parent's hand gestures, you can see each is pushing their children into each other for posterity. (I once had a friend who was a life coach. . .I traded some art for her services. . .she taught me that people will tell you what they mean with their hands, not their mouths) these people live in a cullture warp, a bubble of wealth that may or may not burst soon. either way, they are not aware of it.

my husband and I travelled with skip in his gigantic van (for band travels), stopping in winter park/orlando to see satchel's family circus, pic up skip's mom and then move on to sarasota key. we would have a quick vacation at his single dad, the diamond salesman's 70's condo on the water.

let me just say: I LOVE FLORIDA IN DECEMBER. traveling there in the 1960s--empty sand dunes, exotic blooming flowers, cocktails and clubhouses--would have been my ideal time to go, but I'll take it even in hyper weird 2008. the water is so unbelievably beautiful, like liquid diamonds in the sun, so forgiving and vibrant with wildlife, . . .and it's interesting to see the difference in culture between here (land-locked, forest-hwy materialism) and there (sun-drenched, oceaned-bleached materialism).

among the stories skip's mom told me in the back of the van on our way into deeper western florida was about the children in the photograph. . .her grandchildren who I had seen ravaging wrapped presents earlier in their white living room until boredom left piles unopened. when they travel, they are each fitted with their own dvd screens and headphones in the back seat, so their individual interests can be satiated while riding. they never even have to look out the windows and see the environments in between destinations. you have to wonder what might happen to them someday, if the greater world reality ever were to bust through.

-kt