You just may do a double-take when you see the nearly two dozen photographs on view at MOWA at the Lake, 1840 N. Prospect Ave., beginning Thursday, June 5.
That’s because photographer Eric Baillies, whose “Temporal Bridge - Shadows of Milwaukee” exhibition, which opens that day at 5 p.m., offers views of 21st century Milwaukee captured with 19th century technology.
While you’ll see familiar sights, like the Domes and Lake Park’s Lion Bridge, they may look as if they’re from an entirely different era.
“These are all handmade prints called collodion chloride prints – the world's most archival silver based image,” says the photographer, who will give an artist talk at 6 p.m. on opening day at the gallery, which is located within St. John’s on the Lake.
“They are captured with a hand made 8x10-inch gelatin glass negative and contact printed in the sun, toned in gold chloride.”
The works – Baillies he’s submitting 23 – will be available in signed and numbered limited edition runs of 10 prints. The show is his first solo exhibition in Milwaukee.
“Photography has always had the power to hold time still,” Baillies says, “but Temporal Bridge lets time speak in layers – merging old and new into a poetic kind of continuity.”
The photographs really bridge time and show modern day Milwaukee in a different light.
In addition to being timeless – suspended between eras – they’re quite beautiful and the fact that Baillies chose to photograph my favorite tree – the weeping beech at the top of East Water Tower Road – make me happy.
The images will be on view through Aug. 31.
The opening reception is free and open to all. Light refreshments will be served.
For more on the gallery, click here.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
