Pradip Malde » teaching

Beginning, Again

Pradip Malde — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 02:24:38 +0000

Pool. Athens, GA
from series, ‘a part’
August, 2011

…and here we go again, the beginning of a new semester and academic year. This time, I’m teaching at both UGA and Sewanee.

from a note to Robin

Pradip Malde — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 14:46:04 +0000

My Mother, on her morning walk
July 7, 2011

I sent this image to my friend and fellow teacher/photographer, Robin Gillanders. We were going back and forth about cameras and lenses, but ultimately, all this dicussion boils down to what really matters. I hope Robin does not mind me sharing part of the correspondence:

“Dear Robin

hope I am not boring you with my photo-nurding…

but just by way of illustrating what I meant [this refers to the use of autofocus lenses]: took this yesterday morning while walking with my mom. I did not want to make her feel self-conscious or break the magic of that early morning walk and stillness, and what really was for her a bit of a morning ritual and meditation. I wanted her hair in focus, had but a split second to shoot, and my fingers guessed focus and exposure while I was moving the camera into position, not to my head but hovering a few inches behind here almost at arm’s length. I don’t think I could have worked that fast or accurately with an autofocus… but then, I know this lens well, have known it for over 10 years!

Acht, more than anything else, just want to share this pic of my mom, ’cause I know you miss yours.

with a small tear in my eye and a bubble in my heart, more convinced than ever about the rightness and value of what you and I do,

love

Pradip”

Lexi in Peru

Pradip Malde — Mon, 26 May 2008 03:13:52 +0000

My student, Lexi Namer, leaves for Peru tomorrow on a self-initiated Summer project. As she writes in her blog:

“Last summer, I spent 6 weeks in Peru, 4 of which were spent in Ayacucho with an organization called Cross Cultural Solutions. During this time, I volunteered at a soup kitchen and later [after a disastrous encounter with a meat market and a newfound life as a vegetarian] with street children. These children woke up every morning at 4am to help their families in the market, pushing carts and doing manual labor. Santa Garcia provided them with a place to rest and relax for a while, and just have fun. While there, I taught the kids English, math, as well as arts and crafts and sports.

While I saw some heartbreaking things and met some of the most incredible people of life [adults and children alike], it was not until I returned home that I realized just how much my time in Ayacucho changed me. …

“When I started thinking about what I wanted to do for the summer of 2008, I immediately knew that I wanted to do something with art, preferably in a Spanish speaking country, and more specifically, Peru. After talking to a few people and bouncing around many ideas, I decided that I wanted to hold a photography class for children somewhere.”

And she is doing just that, using the pedagogic methods and ideas of Wendy Ewald, among others, to set up a photography project in Ayacucho. Follow her story on the blog. Good luck, Lexi!

frozen car project

Pradip Malde — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 14:32:31 +0000

Mary Carothers and Sue Wrbican continue their collaborative work with this current project. Commenting as they do with much of their work on Americana, and the rub between the ephemeral and the mythic, Mary and Sue provoke, amuse and confound with The Frozen Car project.

visual clutter = danger

Pradip Malde — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 04:10:48 +0000

There is a growing and interesting trend in Europe to completely remove urban traffic signage and regulations. Given Sewanee’s already minimal traffic signage, should we consider following the Hans Monderman model? Perhaps we can extend this design philosophy to reducing administrative and academic ‘signaling’ and prescriptions that are increasingly clogging up some of the most important aspects of the educational endeavor: to foster responsibility, creativity and community. What do you think?