As the mini posting spree continues, a result of what seems like a now-monthly resolution to “post more of that stuff that’s otherwise just sitting around” during a slow news week, we have “Life Imitates Music,” a 2002 MTV commercial spot for a non-existent band called “The Lack” who make an album cover using photobooth strips.

It fulfills all of the conventions of the photobooth-based TV commercial: the photobooth, standing alone in a well-lit room with checkboard floor and a kiddie ride nearby, with young people mugging inside, seen from the perspective of the photobooth camera as well as from outside, half-obscured by the curtain. With a soundtrack, though somewhat mangled, by the Strokes, the brief spot has a nice energy to it but seems somewhat pointless — though we probably shouldn’t complain when an ad doesn’t actually seem to be advertising anything.

Back in February, when we posted a note about Liz Rideal’s photoboothed plants on display in Philadelphia, we were suprised to come across another example of Rideal’s photobooth work we’d not heard of before. Somehow, in front of our watchful eyes, perhaps the largest photobooth photos ever managed to slip by.

As reported by the BBC in an article titled “Kerfuffle on Broadcasting House,” a giant piece depicting four photobooth photos was on display from May to July of 2004, covering over restoration work at the BBC’s Broadcasting House on Regent Street in London.

The huge piece (22 metres x 15.4 metres), created by enlarging tiny composite images taken in a photo booth, shows the artist’s hand drawing back a sumptuous red curtain.

The gigantic photographic image, surely the biggest set of photo booth photos ever made, covers the ‘prow’ of the BBC’s iconic building, currently undergoing restoration work.

Information about Kerfuffle is available on Rideal’s website, as is more information on the artist herself. Also, check out Photobooth.net’s artist page for her.

Photo © BBC 2004.

The photobooth described on the From K to J: About the Booth page sounds fascinating and wonderful. After taking photos of the occupant, the booth adds its own contribution to the photos:

The booth is presented in semi-public spaces as a typical photobooth holding no denotation of its unique qualities. Users enter the booth, pose for 2 shots & exit as usual. During the developing process, the photos are “analyzed” & customized with forecasts consisting of patterns, symbols & messages.

While you’re visiting the site, check out the hundreds of wonderful examples (lookin’ good, for a digital booth!) that the booth has produced. We’d love to learn how the process works and hear from people who’ve used the booth. We’ve got the project archived in the Projects section as well.

The photobooth from The Collective is for sale on eBay. Photobooths pop up from time to time on eBay, and while we try to keep track of them, sometimes they slip through the cracks. From this point forward we will move photobooths for sale on eBay to the discussion group, unless there is something unique or spectacular about the booth.

While we’re at it, there are also some nice looking photobooths for sale by way of Canada.

Thanks to a tip and photos from my cousin Jo, Photobooth.net has caught wind of a window display at the 

Saks Fifth Avenue in San Francisco in which manequins mingle around a photobooth presumably waiting their turn. The text displayed on the window reads “The Photobooth Project by Christopher Irion.” On first glance, it seemed that Irion might be the designer of the clothes being modeled by the manequins, but Dr. Google informs us that Irion is a photographer who travelled the country with a portable digital photography studio taking more than 600 portraits. This he dubbed “The Photobooth Project.” It is unclear whether the booth is available inside Saks or the portraits Irion took are on display in the store.

more…

A few months ago we made note of the photobooth that makes an appearance in the new “Sims 2” game. Thanks to the wonder of YouTube, now we’ve got a video of the photobooth in action. I won’t hazard a guess as to what exactly is going on in the booth, but it’s nice to see what it looks like in the “real” world.

According to another screen capture, this one on Flickr, you can “take photos of your sims and then save them in your sim’s inventory or place them in their homes,” an example of which you can see on the wall of the Sims in the image. It’s a two-by-two grid rather than a strip of four, but I suppose it’s too much to expect a photobooth in a digital world to be a dip-and-dunk model…

Today’s New York Times brings us the story of Jacques Vidal, an artist who is organizing what he calls a “surrealist county fair” in the Metro Mall in Middle VIllage, Queens. The fair, which takes place April 1, will feature a “chewing gum brain,” erupting volcanoes a la the second grade, and posters and sculptures, all in an “absurd space where all is equal.”

He later said, “The final product will be among the most confusing and jarring public art events in recent memory placed in the context of a forgotten Queens relic.” The exhibit will take place at a food court where all but one restaurant has closed. A partly lighted sign advertises Weight Watchers. Near a GNC and Sam Goody (“Store closing, entire store on sale!”), a cardboard Statue of Liberty beckons one past a storefront dentist to Liberty Tax. A photo booth waits. There is the sweet scent of Subway bread baking.

The story is illustrated with a photostrip of Vidal held in front his face, taken by James Estrin for the New York Times. We hope the organizers are aware of the power the photobooth held for the Surrealists; they can read all about it in this 2004 Guardian article.

Back in January, Photobooth.net was contacted by a BBC reporter for information about the history of the photobooth for the program (or should we say ‘programme’) You and Yours. I went into the lovely studios of WXXI here in Rochester, New York to do an interview with the reporter, Liza Booth, on January 23. It was a new experience for me, a trans-Atlantic digital link-up during which we chatted about photobooths, my interest, the website, and their history. Last Friday, March 24, the episode, called “The thriving face of photo booths,” finally aired.

The story, which runs nearly ten minutes, details the history of the photobooth, its current incarnations, and a few of the films in which photobooths have made appearances. Photobooth artist, collector, and Photobooth Convention founder Steve Howard, a.k.a. Mixup is featured, as well as “historian for Photobooth.net,” yours truly. You can either listen to the BBC’s Real Audio link or to our mp3: The thriving face of photo booths (1.7 mb mp3, 9:27)

Since we began blogging all things photobooth here a year ago, we’ve used a variety of sources to get our information. One of the more entertaining is the Flickr feed for photos tagged with the word “photobooth,” which often includes some great photostrips from around the country, and occasionally the Flickr member will be kind enough to name the location, so we can add it to our massive ‘to do’ list of places to visit. 

Recently, though, first with the introduction of Apple’s “Photo Booth” software, and then with the advent of Shine SF’s photobooth that publishes digital photos through Flickr, the stream has become clogged with photos that, while fun, aren’t really what we’re looking for. That’s why it’s been a pleasant surprise, for the last few months now, to be witness to the growing phenomenon that is Photobooth Friday.

As Photobooth Friday founder Andrea at hula seventy writes, 

…because I love photobooths and I love fridays. I think the two should kiss and make nice and be all lovey-dovey with each other and become like, the hot new couple on campus. if you haven’t already figured it out, I am unnaturally obsessed with photobooths. am thinking that this weekly feature may be just the perfect outlet for my borderline kooky fixation. I’ll be pulling goodies from my ever-growing collection of both personal and vintage found photobooth snapshots. will blissfully share with all who are willing to revel in 35 years of photobooth love. 

That was January, and since then, every Friday, more and more photobooth photos have shown up either linked in her weekly post (the most recent is here) or tagged with “photoboothfriday” in Flickr. 

Thanks to Andrea for giving a shout out to the site in her blog, and for organizing this weekly treat. It’s only Tuesday, so you’ve got time to get your photos ready for this Friday’s installment, and help put some real and interesting photobooth photos out in the Flickr world. 

The photobooth gallery exhibit entitled “A $3 Love Affair” has extended its deadline for submissions until April 1, and changed the opening date to April 8. Brian blogged about the show in late February.