photograph copyright 2012 Douglas Stockdale
For the last four or five months, I have been quietly working on a project about work and identity. No too much ado, but just posting an occasional singular image and a brief reference to what it might be about. For me, there is an interesting interplay between the photographs, the intent of my artistic investigation and the title of the project, with sometimes the latter taking on more significance for me than perhaps is warranted. Then again, it can be the cover of the book that attracts one’s interest enough to desire to know more, eh?
So for this project I have been banging around with a number of potential titles related to the subject for my concept; the constant global traveler who bounces from business meeting to business meeting. It is a subject that I know intimately, as this is what I do for work over the past twenty plus years.
One of the potential titles that had been lingering for the past month is “Business Nomad”, an individual who wanders the terrain in pursuit of business endeavors. I was really becoming attached to the word “Nomad”, but the word “Business” was a little too cut and dried and did not create enough ambiguity. The “Business” aspect seemed to focus in on the “work” as a noun and did not allow much space for “work” as a verb. This was regrettable, as I wanted to explore both aspects of work, how it defined a profession but it is also a process that required unique efforts. I did not want to become too boxed in for what I was exploring, although it did open another alternative pathway to investigate at a later date.
So while very briefly passing through Paris last week, I had one of those serendipity eureka moments. I was waiting for my taxi and decided to photograph an adjacent building interior. I found a subject of interest and I was framing it very tight. When I stepped back to observe the larger context I then caught sight of the sign on the wall: L’Instant Nomade. My French is steadily improving, but the translation to English is not that challenging: The Instant Nomad. In order to suit my taste, I truncated it to “Instant Nomad”. Nice.
The highlighting and underscoring of the word L’Instant is wonderful, creating separation and visual emphasis on the first word. Part noun, part verb; I think I have the title to my project and perhaps the cover of the book, a very nice two-fer one.
Best regards, Doug
Singular Images 
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