The Third Wave exhibit

Mobile photography continues to evolve at an unbelievable rate, changing from a novelty back in its infancy to a serious new art form whose description of “What mobile photography is,” is still being determined. The new genre shares much of its success not only to technology of hardware or that of applications to manipulate ones image, but also how the end-users are applying it to their daily lives in conjunction with social media.

There is more to today’s mobile photography then snapping a quick picture of your meal or that of ones feet, even the infamous reflective self-portrait in the mirror, because of a few visionaries who dared to thread uncharted ground and explore alternative ways to express their visual creativity. 

As camera and post production applications become more sophisticated, mobile artists are slowly given the tools to refine their techniques and develop further their creative vision, despite still numerous short comings in these areas. So when coming face to face with photographic prints that elevate one vision of mobile photography to another level, it’s future becomes more secure. I am referring to The Third Wave exhibit held at the Giorgi Gallery in Berkeley, California, also known as Garden Gate Creativity Center, where I recently attended the artist’s reception.

The Third Wave poster

Image: The Philadelphia Experiment by James Clarke

The Third Wave exhibit is all about images captured on and manipulated with an iPhone. The exhibit is curated by Knox Bronson, who also runs the website P1xles, dedicated to the understanding and advancement of mobile photography, including the promotion of it’s artists.

For the most part, The Third Wave exhibit reflects work looking less photographic or that taken with a mobile device, as the images have more in common with illustrations or a watercolor by very accomplished artists. This sets The Third Wave show apart from Mobile Photographic Awards or Los Angeles-Mobile Arts Festival, both covered earlier this year here at The iPhone Arts. 

Chinatown

Barbara duBois - USA

The exhibit was juried by Glyn Evans, founder of the iPhoneography website and the person who coined the word “iPhoneography to describe this new art form. Other judges are John Seed, professor of art and art history at Mt. San Jacinto College in Southern California, including writer at the Huffington Post column Huffpost Art & Cultor; Rolling Stones photographer Baron Wolman; Dan Marcolina, author of the very popular eBooks iPhone Obsessed and AppAlchemy; long time supporter and contributor Maia Panos, also took part in the judging. 

Between these five jurists they reviewed more than 1200 images from 150 entrants coming from more than 17 foreign countries as far aways as Russia, Turkey and Australia. In the end 58 winners were selected and displayed, with the runner-ups taking part in a slideshow which is viewed concurrently. All submissions underwent an extensive voting process and Knox tells me “The judges were quite tough." 

Fertile Ground

Brandy Eiger - USA

My Own Microcosm 

Natali Prosvetova - Russia

The exhibits features a wide range of artistic expression, from the etherial haunting portrait of Dea by Butow Maler to Cat Morris’ Swiftly Awesome Pachyderm abstract. Even Glenn Homann’s romantic pastoral landscape, Sheep, with deep rich antique tones resembles more an eighteenth-century landscape then a photograph, while Kristina Ernst’s Fence, appears like a very fine pencil drawing in a sketchbook. Even Chinatown, LA photograph by Barbara duBois comes across as a photo-realism illustration used to illustrate an article or even a book cover. 

The World of Broken Promises

Jamie Stewart - United Kingdom

Fountain Square Alley

Rad Drew - USA

Fence

Kristina Ernst - USA

Sheep

Glenn Homann - Australia 

Dea

Butow Maler - Germany 

Miss Scarlet and Mr Mustard

Richard Gray - United Kingdom

———

Knox Bronson

The Third Wave runs from November 29 thru January 30, 2013 at

  Giorgi Gallery, Garden Gate Creativity Center

  2911 Claremont Avenue, at Ashby

  Berkeley, CA 

Phone

Garden Gate Creativity Center: 510.848.1228

P1xels: 510.612.6124

November 29—December 14, 2012

Soho Gallery for Digital Art

138 Sullivan Street, New York City

December 21—February 22, 2013

Galerie OutOfMyMind

Goethestrasse 36, Bremen, Germany

Photo of Knox Bronson by Egmont van Dyck