Hollywood 32 1958

"Hollywood 32" by Robert Frank is a black and white photo strip, a kind of storyboard of images, that presents a sequence of moments like frames of a film. Frank isn't trying to give us a seamless narrative but, rather, he shows us something closer to raw footage. I am drawn to the texture of this piece. It's not just about what's depicted but the physicality of the medium itself; the graininess of the film, the imperfections, and the visible sprocket holes. I love the way the light catches on the surface of the film, creating a kind of shimmer. There is a particular section in the middle where the images are upside down. It's a disruption, an interruption. It makes me think about how our perception is always shifting, always being challenged. It reminds me of the work of Ed Ruscha, who also played with the idea of seriality and repetition in his photographic books. In the end, these strips show us that art is a conversation, a constant back-and-forth between artists across time.