I have a friend who has worked at a major European and a middle to minor US art museum. She told me once that there is a very strict process that is generally required when a work is de-acquisitioned (sp?) by destruction (and that this happens more often than one might realise apparently). The actual destruction needs to be documented (filmed I think from memory) and often requires the presence of several people. The thing I most rember is that they did it wearing white cotton gloves so as not to damage the work. Must keep up archival standards ..... Admittedly she was doing this in the last 10-15 or so years, so after this no doubt happened, but still ...... 1991 is not that long ago. Tangentially, I also recall a story about people trawling through Sugimoto's rubish looking for discarded prints. I believe he punched holes in them and tore them but even this didn't seem to slow them down.

What a timely post. I was talking with an older photojournalist two days ago about how tired and unoriginal so much photojournalism had become. He was saying how much he wanted to see something that didn't look like what he was shooting in the 70's and 80's. He's going to love this.

Eolake, interesting, if, I might argue, a somewhat inaccurate analogy there. I would more likely say that using digital is like sending your clothes to a laundry, film is like having a washing machine at home, you get to make more decisions.

There is a solution for the Black and white sensor problem. It also has the advantage that it is cheap, you can buy multiple sensors that give you images that range from almost grain free to golf ball size clumps. In the field they are simple to use (the sensors are sealed when you replace them)and they are easy to carry. Very few issues with archiving and image conservation, and there are a wide range of printing options. I was field testing the system yesterday, as I have been for some time. Must say I find the results excellent. And after extensive testing I have to say that my favorites are two of the Ilford sensors followed by one of the Kodak ones. :-)

Sebastian, my pleasure. I'm interested in it myself, let me know how it performs.

Sebastian, no problem. If I can help let me know david at southlight dot net. Are you based in Shanghai? Havent been there in a few months. Some interesting galleries there.

I can't remember the name, might be DCFever.com, ph 2834 3112 but it was on the 10th floor of Windsor House (in Causeway Bay, opposite Victoria park, near Ikea). Try this link, www.windsorhouse.hk/en_index.asp good luck

Saw what I think might have been one in a shop here in Hong Kong today. Was heading to to a lab to drop some film off, how ironic. It had some DP2 advertising with it anyway. And I had just had a conversation with the owner of another camera shop here (where I bought 6 rolls of 120 film, how even more ironic) about the continuous release of new digital cameras on what seems like a weekly basis ........

I have had the good fortune to see many of his prints and not only are they technically wonderful, his work is conceptually very strong as well. The thought and creative processes that go into his work is exhaustive. The first actual prints I saw (as opposed to seeing reproductions) where several of his seascapes. I spent ages with them. So seductive and enticing. Subsequently I have seen prints of his dioramas, movie screens, wax works and the 10,000 Buddha series. I hope to see some of his recent colour work (he had a building built and specially plastered using a particular Japanese technique just so he could photograph the light inside from what I have read) that I have been told might be being shown at the Hong Kong Art Fair. Ahhhh delightful suspense.