Dreams and
illusions „
by Jim Anctil
Dreams and Illusions is the name o f the
exciting new show o f Shedrich (Shad) W il-
liam es' work, opening May 1 at the Photo­
graphic Image Gallery. The gallery, owned by
Guy and Caroline Swanson, is located at 208
S.W. First and is part o f the attractive dow n­
tow n area popularly called Gallery Row.
This latest showing o f Shad W illiam es’
photos consists o f all com pletely new work
never exhibited before and covers a wide
range o f subject m atter and treatm ents.
These photos, as all o f W illiam es’ work, are in
black and white; this allows the photographer
to concentrate on the play o f light and
shadow. As W illiam es has stated: "The ele­
m ent o f lig ht being the greatest mystery
draws the soul o f man to a creative point
beyond any casual order o f life. The mystery
o f lig h t being as it is can only intensify that
deeper concept o f creative m eans___”
Indeed, this seems a fitting introduction to
the very central elem ent o f W illiam es’
im ages, that o f m ystery and fantasy. One of
the Pacific N orthw est’s tru ly outstanding
photographers, he is not particularly inter­
ested in the lushness o f forests or grandiose
landscape, but rather in the mystery o f the
in dividual’s private inner world. This is cere­
bral photography, yet highly sensual. It is
rom antic and dream like, with an air of deep
tra n q u ility perm eating every image.
W illiam es is also known as a pioneer in the
developm ent o f male nude photography as a
fine art form . His work w ill be rem em bered as
part o f the very successful
at this
sam e gallery last year. This viewer was struck
Nude Show
im m ediately by W illiam es’ ability to evoke so
m any feelings and overtones o f meaning with
such econom ical means. His photos often
appear deceptively sim ple at first glance. The
im ages are accessible and readily identifiable,
usually clearly photographed and in focus.
Yet this very accessibility draws the viewer
into the deeper levels o f significance. One
f inds oneself spinning o ff into a phantasm a­
goria o f personal rem iniscences, film s,
books, sweetly rem em bered acquaintances.
F o r W illiam es, fantasy for its own sake is a
desirable end in itself.
Few o f his photos are titled, so specific
im ages are here m entioned by subject m at­
ter. Many are photos o f good-looking,
m uscular young men usually alone, although
a double portrait o f tw o young men of
M editerranean origin, very vulnerable and
sensitive, is exquisite. A blond young man
appears in several shots, one particularly has
him nude seated sideways and leaning to ­
ward the cam era, w ith vague form s behind
suggesting angel’s wings. The same m odel
appears masked in another with a dark halo
around his head, m ysterious and vaguely
om inous. There is a m ythological feeling to
m any o f these shots, evoking the Orphee
film s o f Cocteau, perhaps. M irrors play an
im p ortant role in many pictures. Several of
the m odels are veiled, in profile, or looking
dow nw ard withdrawn from the viewer, lost in
the ir own thoughts and dreams.
Flowers and dried plants appear prom i­
nently in W illiam es’ work. Nearly always they
are indoors, although there is one beautiful
garden scene with water pouring from a
s p o u t In other images, the fantasy elem ent of
certain vegetable form s plays visual puns on
the m ale organ in various stages o f tum es­
cence. Dream s o f m usic and the illusion of
dance are alluded to, as well as the im p o rt­
ance o f spectacle and ritual in our lives. One
picture captures a religious cerem ony taking
place, purposely ou t o f focus to suggest the
universality o f this experience. In another, a
w om an in an elaborate dress is ascending a
darkened staircase, her gown trailing behind
her. A pair o f happy lovers are standing side­
ways in a doorway in another picture.
There is a striking portrait o f the photo­
grapher’s daughter, Dana Coco, against a
draped A m erican flag. A nother unforgettable
picture entitled “A partheid" is one o f the few
w ith a title. In it a male nude body is hanging
over the edge o f a bed draped like a bier. The
upper half o f the body is covered by a sheet
as if it had been severed. The stark setting
w ith lig h t from a w indow and an overhead
lam p suggests the result o f a relentless inter­
rogation. On the wall there is a Germ an pos­
ter o f the Three Graces carrying away a dead
figure. The poster is inscribed “ Bewegung”
(m ovem ent).
There are so m any m em orable pictures
that space does not allow description of. W il­
liam es has an uncanny sense o f placem ent
and com position. Each shot is “ ju st right"
and arouses subtle sublim inal feelings. His
w ork is recognized internationally and is in
the perm anent collections o f the M etropoli­
tan M useum and M useum o f M odern Art,
New York, as well as the B ibliotheque
N ationale in Paris and the O regon A rt Insti­
tute.
is at the Photo­
graphic Image Gallery through the m onth o f
May.
Men in the Woods/
Men by the Sea
ings that last far beyond the weekend.
A t the age o f 2 5 ,1 have been blessed with
the loving and yet seem ingly tragic experi­
ence o f being able to say I have an ex-lover.
My dream s o f a long-term love have been hit
by m eteorites o f painful reality (I’m sure m y
ex-loveF feels the same). After one o f m y
weekends at the gatheing, I wrote what I saw
happening between men who had either ju st
m et each other o r had been in a loving rela­
tio n sh ip fo r 10 to 30 years. For me, these
weekends never fail to recharge m y belief that
w ith or w ithout a life-tim e love, I will continue
to receive and give the love I need.
I have spent years in the em otional freezers
o f bars and other places. After a gathering
weekend, 1 can com e back to Portland and
walk into the bars and no longer feel like
som eone had shoved me into the vegetable
bin. I feel an em otional bonding, a warm th
w ith those I had m et during the weekend. If
I’ve g o t to be in a freezer, I’d rather be huddled
up next to the lig h t bulb. W herever your
freezer happens to be, I hope that you will
seek out these gatherings or experiences that
w ill help you to open up the door and let the
w arm th o f the bulb huddle around you.
If you w ould like to attend one o f the Men
or
contact
Phoenix Rising at 223-8299 and we ll put you
on the m ailing list. There will be a Men at the
Sea retreat on May 30, 31 and June 1 (not
M e m orial Day weekend), so hurry and sign
up (was that a sales pitch or what?).
by Dauid Gutierrez
To be perfectly honest, when I first heard
about Phoenix Rising assem bling 60 to 75
gay m en fo r an entire weekend at various
isolated places in O regon, great sexual
thoughts arose in m y m ind.
W hen I attended m y first gathering, 1 was
not disappoited. Oh, one could have sex if
that is what one felt one needed. However, the
sex w ould have taken back seat to the love
and support these men shared and gave life
to during the weekend.
The idea is a rather odd one: Convince 60
to 75 m en to pay a sliding scale o f $75.00 to
$ 135.00 fo r a weekend o f— well, it’s really
d iffic u lt to say what for. See, there is no
structure, nothing planned, no leader, no no­
thing. Each weekend is a self-designed ex­
perience. O n the first day, all these men sit
dow n and decide fo r themselves how they
want to spend their weekend. I. being one
w ith a high need fo r structure, and one being
trained in the belief that large groups when
left on th e ir own are clum sy and inefficient,
received a “ real w orld” education. These
groups som ehow always manage to create a
weekend that reaches in and pulls out in ti­
macy, hugs, tears, and just plain good feel­
Dreams and Illusions
in the Woods Men at the Sea
Present this a d and receive
30%
OFF
any frame in stock!
Good through March 15,1986
( / T
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desired by our special clients whose alternative life styles
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16
Just O ut. May, 1986