Photograms and my vision of so called "photography."

I am a graduate of the Institute of Design in Chicago which Moholy established upon his coming to the USA after the closing of the Bauhaus in Germany. Unfortunately he had passed on by the time I arrived. I studied with photographers Harry Callahan, Aaron Siskind as well as very fine graphic designers and graphic artists along with numerous visiting greats.

My apartment was around the corner from where Moholy originally lived in a charming Victorian three flat on Lakeview Avenue and Deming Place, in Lincoln Park. But, by that time, that too was gone, raised for a hi-rise. Only a plaque remains.

Moholy was a great inspiration to my thought process and vision.

I made photograms every year I studied there, finally realizing that photography does not need an object involved in its creation since, in it pure execution, photography only requires a source of radiating energy effecting a surface sensitized to that type of energy.

With that realization I began exploring sources of light and used them to expose colored 8x10 inch paper and later 8x10 Ektachome in 1961, 62 and 63.

In the end, I finally discovered sources of pure exploding light that I did on the above sizes of paper and film. I named these "dynagrams" (C).

I also coated my face with paper developer and pressed my face against fogged 4x5 and 8x10 sheet film for a minute or two and then ran the film through hypo - fixer. I named these "epigrams." (C)

I also explored other alternative energies such as heat (thermofax), x-ray and others.