The Blundering Zeitgeist

Portraits for Berlin Writer & Copywriter, Neukölln

2012-01-25T23:37:00.001+01:00

J & J in Norway

2012-01-04T21:32:00.000+01:00

Autumn on Karl Marx Allee

2011-11-09T19:30:00.001+01:00

Our 15 Minutes in Rummelsburg

2011-11-07T23:43:00.001+01:00

Our friends Stephane and Claudio shot a music video yesterday for Sinnbus Records' Me and My Drummer in Rummelsburg Berlin, and we were lucky enough to be on set in the video!

CMJ NYC - October 18-22, 2011

2011-10-18T22:27:00.000+02:00

If you are in NYC this week, go check out Paw Tracks' Dent May from Mississippi. I had the pleasure of hanging out with Dent and his pals at the Cats Purring Dude Ranch in Oxford, MS in the Mississippi Delta this summer. My interview with him will come out shortly! But go hear him croon some tunes for you this evening at Public Assembly in Brooklyn. Here NYTimes describes his performance at CMJ in 2008. Dent has since then moved on to create other styles of music, very different from the ukulele-playing tunes from the first album. Listen here! And here's the full list of his CMJ performances!

Prospect.2 New Orleans Opening October 22, 2011

2011-10-18T02:12:00.001+02:00

Most importantly, Mr. William Eggleston will be an artist at Prospect.2 NOLA this year! I can't believe I'll miss this...and Sophie Calle [!].....But I will be there in spirit, as one [or maybe two] of my images will be part of William Pope.L's traveling exhibit of images entitled 'When you dream of New Orleans, what do you dream of? // When you wake up in the morning, what do you see?'

According to the artist: 'The images will be part of a video installation, mounted on a truck that will traverse the city’s neighborhoods like a magic lantern, as part of the inaugural events celebrating the opening of Prospect.2, the International Arts Exhibition to open October 22, 2011.'

Jazz Festival New Orleans 2011-II

2011-10-13T18:48:00.000+02:00

Wilco & Arcade Fire. More here!

Jazz Festival New Orleans 2011-I

2011-10-12T20:08:00.000+02:00

Kermit Ruffins & the Barbeque Swingers, Chief Iron Horse & the Mardi Gras Indians, and Charlie Musselwhite. More here!

Magnus at Kino International Berlin

2011-10-02T00:06:00.002+02:00

♥

Kari at Schlachtensee Berlin

2011-09-12T16:28:00.004+02:00

Our friends Kari and Erlend are getting married, and I had the pleasure of photographing the very lovely soon to be bride at one of her favorite lakes in the city this past weekend.

Leaving Kefalonia

2011-09-04T18:53:00.003+02:00

I sit in Berlin, the sun goes in and out tricking us as usual, and I can only sit and look at my images from Kefalonia and wondering what must be happening at the moment on my new favorite island. I get lost in my head thinking about whether the cats are sharing their food at Vatsa beach, if the swimmers are getting stuck between the rocks as the tide is going out for the day, what the sunset looks like from the top of the mountain at Platia Ammos this day, if the coffee lady is hanging around at the restaurant bar at Vatsa or whether the beachgoers are making their own coffees before dinner, if the shepherd has taken in the goats for the day near the monastery, and whether I will ever be able to visit this magical place again. ευχαριστώ to the families of Natassa and Tam and to the amazing folks and animals of Kefalonia! More images here...

Tree of Life by Terrence Malick

2011-08-23T14:56:00.000+02:00

By far, one of the greatest films I've ever seen. Please go see this. I've never been so incredibly moved by a movie. Besides a few small minor elements, it's epic perfection.

Gulf of Mexico at Night

2011-08-10T19:36:00.004+02:00

Butterflies, Ravneberget Prison, from Fengsel Series

2011-08-10T19:35:00.002+02:00

Blowing Winds In and Out of Berlin

2011-08-10T16:53:00.006+02:00

Don't you think the most exciting times in life are often the ones that are completely unexpected, those days or nights that God just blows in from some strange existence that make your own existence more thrilling, and even more alive. Now with a start like that, you'd think I was going to tell you a story that changed my life or something. But this was simply just a interesting night that should definitely be recorded....

It was a Sunday night in our fair city, and Magnus and I were watching a documentary on the life of Stephen Hawking. And just as the cosmos were changing and time was going in reverse with broken coffee cups flying back together and people growing younger, I got a text from our Australian friend Kate. She said the concert they'd been to was absolutely fantastic and sorry we missed it. But the band would be meeting her and her Aussie pals in a bar near the Muscle Temple studio in ten minutes. We decide that the reversing cosmos and Hawking could wait a few hours maybe while we had a beer with friends.

Now I forgot to mention that Kate and the Aussies went to see R. Stevie Moore play. I didn't remember the name whenever they mentioned him earlier in the week whenever they said they were planning to go, but later I figured out who Mr. Moore is and where he comes from. TENNESSEE! I remember reading one time that he once sang a duet with Mr. Jim Reeves and his voice of velvet, as Momma says ♥. And Mr. Moore has self-released over 400 cassette and CD-R albums since 1968. Whoa.

So we arrive to Rote Rose on Adalbertstrasse to a bar full of very drunken older Germans dancing to the Macarena on the jukebox. Uh oh. And they announce that they've been there partying for three days. Congratulations guys. Other than the very depressing site of this, these guys were pretty entertaining. One guy stands out and seems to be the leader of their party. So my friend goes over to ask the camouflage-clad man some questions. "He claims to be famous," my friend whispers. "He won't say who he is, he just keeps whistling 'Winds of Change'.'' We laughingly guess that he's the founder of the 1980s German hair-band Scorpions [whose name I won't write here just in case he finds this blog whenever he Googles himself after waking up from his party!]. For those of you who don't remember, Scorpions wrote one of the most famous, or infamous some would say, songs after the falling of the Berlin Wall. Well the night goes on and this joke starts becoming reality. He won't let anyone take his photo, says he lives on Kensington High Street in London, and he demands to be in control of the jukebox. Whenever I would try to choose a song, he would jump in real quick and press a stupid song [!]. And I couldn't get angry since this could truly be this fallen rock star. I felt so sad for him! But we never really took the idea too seriously, as R. Stevie Moore arrived, and I remembered our original mission, which was to hear Mr. Moore's sweet Tennessee accent :).

So Mr. Moore arrived with his band at one point, and I immediately loved him. He was just as I imagined, like my long lost rock and roll Grandpa, here in Berlin. He's a lot younger than my sweet Grandfathers, but he has very snowy-white hair and a long white beard to match making him look older than he really is. And he has a very kind sentiment that makes anyone immediately wanna be his friend. I don't know his music very well, but I knew right when he spoke that it must be very charming.

As we were speaking, I noticed that my Southern drawl was kickin' back in, and his became stronger and stronger as mine did! He's been on his first tour ever this summer all over the place and been living lately in NYC. But despite all this and the Aussie/Norwegian/German/Turkish accents around us, we spoke Southernese and it made me wanna cry.

Why can't there be more Southerners in Berlin??? And why can't the few Southerners we have here keep our accents? I really try and make an effort to keep mine, but it's so difficult whenever you want everyone that's living here from around the world to understand you. It's tough.

But it was absolutely amazing to hear this voice that once sang with Jim Reeves in the 1950s in Tennessee exist here in this strange bar. But soon we began to get tired and Mr. Moore was of course exhausted having played a sold-out show, and most of us were ready to head home. We said goodbye to the Scorpions man and his drunken pals and walked outside. I'd only spoken to R. Stevie Moore for a short time, but I felt like I'd known him for a while. I guess that's what home can be like. It exists where your family is, and it exists in small parts of the world whenever you can run into it. I gave him a hug and told him to be careful gettin' home.

As Magnus and I walked home, we were still laughing about the 'Winds of Change' dude. So whenever we got home we Googled the Scorpions guy, and he was wearing the same camo hat in an image we found online. So bizarre...

New Work from Skogen Project

2011-08-05T16:13:00.003+02:00

Neukölln Norwegen / Hinter dem Fenster / NABROAD Publication launch

2011-07-28T14:54:00.003+02:00

by Nabroad www.nabroad.org

Neukölln Norwegen Artists:

Anna Karin Stjernløf,
Maja Nilsen,
Mai Hofstad Gunnes,
Munan Øvrelid,
Marius Engh,
Liv Bugge,
Anna Særnblom,
Randi Nygård,
Lars Morell,
Jannicke Låker,
Magnus Bjerk,
Anders Kjellesvik,
Trygve Luktvasslimo,
Goro Tronsmo.
Text by: Andreas Schlaegel

HINTER DEM FENSTER Artists:
Negjat Beka
Jennifer Dallmann
Andreas Paludis
Wenzel Büchold
Ali El Taki
Anto Damjanovicz

DJ’s:
Muscle Magnus
Mississippi Le Brit
(Muscle Temple)
+ special guest DJ
Added Touch
(Baltimore/Berlin)

Chief Iron Horse and the Black Seminoles Mardi Gras Indians

2011-07-20T00:09:00.003+02:00

Jazz Festival, New Orleans 2011

RAVE IS OVER: Martin Eberle Vernissage at Gestalten Space

2011-07-15T16:14:00.004+02:00

Magnus and I photographed a fantastic opening last night for a great Berlin photographer named Martin Eberle. Eberle is showing work in the Gestalten space that includes portraits and spaces leftover from the legendary days of Berlin discos. More images here on the Gestalten Facebook and Tumblr pages.

Hinter dem Fenster Vernissage - July 5, 2011

2011-07-03T17:16:00.003+02:00

Vernissage: Tuesday 5 July 2011, 17 clock

Negjat Beka, Andreas Paludis, Anto Damjanovic, Wenzel Büchold and Ali El Taki.

Under the leadership of Magnus Bjerk and Jenny Just
with instruction assisting by Britney Anne Majure

BERLINER PROJEKTFONDS KULTURELLE BILDUNG

Akademie Berlin-Schmöckwitz

Flier photo by: Wenzel Büchold

U & S-Bahn: Neukölln (U 7)
Opening times: Tue - Sun 10-20 Clock, Phone (030) 568 23 939

Images from the opening by the amazing Lena Kilkka ♥

St. Moritz Design Gallery, Lake Como, Switzerland

2011-07-01T13:55:00.003+02:00

Back in Berlin

2011-06-25T13:49:00.000+02:00

Life is pretty confusing for this woman. While at home I think life is grand, Mississippi is amazing and my family is absolutely the best! I wonder what my place is in Europe and if I'm supposed to be there. I get back to Berlin and the love of my life and feel the heat of the summer in one of the best cities in the world and wonder what's better? Both places are so great! It makes things really difficult. But then today I had to have an emergency root canal in Berlin, which I thought would reaaally make me miss my Momma. But God works in mysterious ways for sure...

It all started Wednesday after I arrived into Berlin. I walk into my flat to see sweet Magnus [!], rooms fulls of flowers [!] and Joplin's Pearl on vinyl [!]. Awww ♥ so nice. I'm famished, so we decide to go for some Hamy down the street, our favorite Viet-Thai place. I'm eating the hot delicious coconut soup and bite down on a stone...but not a stone, but more like my tooth. And I start to miss my family, have a good cry on Magnus' shoulders and go about my business trying to unpack and things. But Magnus reminds me of the fact that one cannot live without a tooth in that hole and I must go see a dentist asap. Ok, maybe I will. I did actually also arrive to my new shiny Euro health card [that took 2.5 years of work to get!] in the flat and thought they would probably cover the visit.

So this morning I visit Magnus' dentist in Neukölln. The ladies turn out to speak English and smile a lot. Very nice. They take some x-rays and announce there are some procedures needed. With a little of that ole hand gesturing, dancing around, and translating business, I finally understand that it's a root canal that I need...and need TODAY. They bring me into a room with tranquil skies out the windows and give me a shot in the mouth. Tasha later reminds me that in America you get anesthesia before the anesthesia. In Germany they just go ahead with the shot, but it really isn't so bad actually. Well, and I'm reaaally trying to be tough and not let them think us Americans are weak or something. Haa. All of a sudden I feel like my throat is swelling up. They then bring me into a waiting room with a television showing relaxing travel scenes currently in Egypt or somewhere with camels. Thirsty camels! Annnnd my throat reaaally starts to feel like I'll never breathe or drink water again. Oh no! But then they bring me back into the tranquil skies in order to start the procedure and calm me down with some hand patting [yes yes hand patting] and gentles rubs on my cheeks [yes!]. It was amazing actually. I've never had a root canal before, but I hope you always get this hand rubbing and such. It was lovely! I can't wait to go back...well maybe not too soon though [the pain is starting to set in now that I'm writing this :(].

As I walk out of the dentist waving goodbye to my kind new friends at the dentist office, the sun is shining and I feel like a million dollars. Call it too much anesthesia, but I was immensely happy and thought of that blind man in Amelie the movie that sees the light of the heavens shining on his face after Amelie takes him on a tour of the street. Moments like this have helped me to understand that it's the very small interactions you have in a country that make a difference. Days when the finanzamt [tax office] or immigration office made me cry, if I didn't have Magnus or my really amazing friends here, I couldn't have handled it very well. I'm incredibly blessed in Mississippi and in Berlin. In every place you have negative and positive experiences of course, but I sure am glad the stars chose a good one today for me in Berlin.

New Augusta, Mississippi

2011-05-27T23:58:00.002+02:00

Hwy 98

My Mississippi road trip began on a full moon...

2011-05-25T18:56:00.002+02:00

I started driving up Hwy. 98 after a long night of trying to sleep at home with ceiling fans knocking, Momma snoring down the hall, my stomach rumbling from fried green tomatoes, and Daddy shining lights outside the windows everywhere hunting armadilla'. Welcome to Mississippi ♥ .

Life-Support Japan

2011-03-21T20:14:00.003+01:00

If you're in Atlanta, go bid on Magnus and my prints at the Life Support Japan auction at Jennifer Schwartz Gallery! Money raised will be donated to Direct Relief International (www.directrelief.org) and Habitat for Humanity Japan (www.habitatjp.org). If you're not in Atlanta, you can also bid absentee!

Interview with Alec Soth on the Photocrew Blog

2011-03-13T10:47:00.003+01:00

©Alec Soth, from Sleeping by the Mississippi

I interviewed the very witty, charming, award-winning photographer and book publisher, Alec Soth:
http://photocrew.com/blog/2011/03/11/interview-with-alec-soth/

New work from Norwegian prisons project

2011-03-02T17:12:00.002+01:00

Halden Prison Inmate, from Fengsel Series

The sun sets on Halden Prison, Norway, from Fengsel Series

The Sightseers Series

2011-02-18T14:15:00.002+01:00

The sightseers of the world are often made fun of and stereotyped to move too comfortably as they travel around the world. But their curiosity can be just as charming as that of a small child learning about the world for the first time.

From Eisbaden Berlin series

2011-02-12T15:29:00.002+01:00

From Eisbaden Berlin series
© Britney Anne Majure
BAM's Tumblr

Rock / Disco Showdown-Challenge: Big Trouble in Little Berlin 2010

2011-01-12T15:22:00.002+01:00

2010 was the reeeealest battle Magnus and I ever experienced together. Is it rock or is it disco, people? This was the year to decide. This was the year to decide many things!

And some of these things were decided! And some of them weren't...but most importantly, we made it people. We made it!!! And with God's good grace and rock and roll [with a little disco tooo], we did it. Wow. So here's a little run through that party/struggle/adventure of a year. Some really good, some bad. But hey, we're still living the good life! So here goes Magnus and Britney Anne's Big Trouble in Little Berlin 2010...

The year started in East Berlin's Orankesee....

...with an Ice Bathing Carnival!

And then, of course, I photographed some fabulous cross-dressing sledding sessions! Awww Berlin...

and then we had a little tequila birthday party..well little is maybe not the right word. Photo below by Sirio Magnabosco

And Magnus and I both became 30 years old

Then during the coldest of winters, my photo agency requested I photograph a bridge in the snow...at night, dusk, etc., all of the coldest of times. I froze, but it made some nice photos for the cover of a book concerning the exchange of Russian and American prisoners on the bridge during Wall times.

And then I took some photos like this for the agency..

But then I decided I was not really into this kind of telephoto crowd:

So I quit my agency and moved on. I then began taking more assignments from Zitty Magazine Berlin.

And this got me more work with newspapers in Europe which was exciting. And sometimes Magnus had to take part in some silly photo illustrations and shoots, such as eating ice cream outside in February.

And one time around then, I almost almost met Mr. Woody Allen...

And tusen takk to the talents of Magnus, we went to Poland several times this year for his exhibitions in Warsaw at the Polish National Gallery and Lodz for the Poznan/Lodz Biennale. ♥ to Poland!

And in Poland and everywhere else in 2011, Magnus and I continued to take pictures of each other..

And like every year of my life abroad, I thought about Mississippi, NYC, Bangkok and my friends and family a lot...

And I especially thought about Mung Thai and my favorite city in the world during the protests and strifes of 2010.

But whenever I missed home, I got on Skype a lot to talk to my beautiful family and niece!

And then I wondered alot, like always, why I live away from home, why I live in Berlin, why I left NYC, why I don't move back Bangkok, but mostly why I don't live at home...but then, like always, I thought a lot, got amazing hugs and smiles from Magnus, had a fantastic experience meeting someone or taking a photo, or took an airplane somewhere and remembered why it's just yet not time to go home.

And I continued to photograph a lot for personal projects and assignments.

But then my Grandmother passed away suddenly and I went home to Mississippi...

She and I used to write letters to each other. She was the only letter writer I knew anymore. I now have really fantastic dreams about her, like she's still here.

I eventually had to go back to Berlin to work...

But not for long, as we soon left again for Warsaw ♥

where we attended Magnus' opening at the Polish National Gallery, met many great people again, saw some fantastic art...and of course tasted many interesting vodkas :)..

saw many more incredibly perfect tulips [a lil insanely perfect, coming close to those in Brugge]..

danced some ballet at the top of the city

And just enjoyed walking around fantastic Warsaw.

But right before we went to Poland, the second largest disaster, in my time, happened to my home.

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill of 2010 was horrific and extremely devastating for the Gulf of Mexico and all of the people that depend on the body of water for their livelihood. And once again, like back in 2005 when I was in Cambodia during Katrina, I felt helpless.

As I write this now in 2011, the Gulf, our barrier islands, our seafood, and our fishers are still hurting...

And then after a Polish train breakdown and watching deer in the countryside, we made it back to Berlin right in time for the 1st of May festivities.

And I fell in love with my neighborhood again and went back to an older project on Neukölln/Kreuzberg.

And even though we had very little warm weather, or sun, still at this point, I was required for one large editorial assignment to photograph a model [and my stylist and friend Kari Kjosnes ;)] 'in the sun doing summer activities in Berlin holding ice creams and summery bright things'..or that's what they requested :). I rarely do fashion work, but this was fun!

And we did one shoot at Tempelhof Airport, a massive and amazing structure built mostly by the Nazis in the mid-1930s and later was the location of the famous Berlin Airlift.

I shot several covers for Zitty this year...

including this one, where Magnus tried to eat the model after the shoot.

But mostly he just entertained the guests...

And some time in May, I helped curate and was the Director of Slideluck Potshow Berlin III. Thanks to Founder Casey Kelbaugh for the image below.

And some time in the spring, Magnus and I decided to officially join the bike riders in Berlin, finally. Here's my cute East Berlin-made bike bought at Mauer Park, which is slow but very charming :).

In June some time, Magnus and I took a visit to his lovely home in Norway where we took walks in the amazing forests with his family and hung out at their summer cottage by the sea.

And then we went South! After a short trip to NYC...

we headed to sweet New Orleans...

where I decided to catch up on some of my Southern literature and even felt a bit like Eudora Welty at times..

and where we hung out with the coolest gal in the world.

And then we went finally to Mississippi and lived in the 'High Cotton,' as my Daddy would say, for over a month in the hottest of summers...

On this Mississippi trip, we took our good friend and brother, Buddy, on a lot of new experiences...

And Magnus got to see many snakes and spiders that he's never seen before since he comes from the very nonpoisonous Norway...

And on one road trip, we met some of the coolest kids of Mississippi who lived in a home near a really amazing and mystical old train trestle on the Leaf River.

And after Buddy tried to eat their big ol parrot, we took off for the next adventure in my Dad's hometown, where the Neshoba County Fair and Fruit and Veggie Contests were just getting started..

At the Fair, the people thought this Scandinavian guy was really interesting, and visa versa.

And after the fair, Magnus and I shopped Western shirts...and hung out on the land with the family..

and took a long much-needed walk on the land.

And then back to the Coast to hang more with sweet Tatum Claire, Erin and Brad!

Where went to the beach a lot...ate a lot of fruit with Tatum....

And had many funny photo shoots..

And Magnus taught her how to fly! It was so good to be at home...

We even got to hang one day with Don and Mammaw..

And play a little golf with Pappaw Jim and Audie, where Magnus was a natural and I was not.

Everyone was so nice to us, and it it was really hard to leave. There's nothing like being at home...But after a very very sad goodbye to the fam, we started heading back to Berlin...On the way to NYC, we stopped back in to see what Molly and Patrick were up to in NOLA.

We went to a fantastic heavy metal show where the music was so loud that paint from the ceiling was falling on us... and we learned about sissy bounce [!]. And near the last day in New Orleans, we decided to take a very innocent trip to an old theme park in NOLA that closed down after Katrina.

But Jazz Land turned out to be not so innocent and we got into a little bit of trouble right after shooting these photos...but after a hideout and a court date, we made our flights back to NYC. Whew. Life is never boring with Miss Molly B. ♥ ♥

And after a while in New York again and crazy times with Fancy Fann and the gang...we went back to our sweet home in Berlin.

where we attended some great parties..

shopped at some great markets for cheap things...

and began working more on photo assignments again...

And during one assignment from Art Forum, Magnus went to a fancy dinner and even chatted with my old friend Mr. Stipe...so jealous.

And then we went back to Poland one more time, but this time to Lodz! On the train, I found my long lost Polish family and grandmothers, one of which didn't speak English but knew how to resew my torn sweater with her little travel-sewing kit:).

The train didn't break down this time,

but Magnus and I did continue the tradition of taking silly train pictures...

and I even considered being a Dadaist.

And bad karma/police came after us again whenever we stood on the train tracks in a small village in Poland...but luckily they weren't as harsh as the NOLA cops. We managed this picture before the Polish police caught onto our shenanigans.

After getting back to Berlin, I took a short trip to Dresden to help shoot an Arte documentary about the amazing talents of experimental jazz pianist Michael Wollny. While in Dresden, I met the nicest rose I've ever seen in one of the many gardens in the city.

And then at one of the many stupendous Muscle Temple parties of the year,

Magnus and I and hundreds others got food poisoning. We were sick for ten days and spent a lot of time watching the really fat and healthy magpie out our window as he went about his business.

But then not long after, we got to go to Norway to recuperate :).

And during the fantastic Christmas holidays in Norway with Magnus' veldig hyggelig family, I got me a Norwegian hairdo.

And Magnus almost managed to fly...

Whew. That was long. Thanks for sticking around, and Happy New Year! Here's to making many nice decisions, hearing many more nice tunes, and having many more fantastic travels in 2011!

♥ britney anne and magnus

2010-11-30T02:38:00.001+01:00

A Rose In Dresden from Britney Anne Majure on Vimeo.

© Britney Anne Majure

Vi ♥ Jaakko!

2010-11-22T22:34:00.000+01:00

Posters by Petri Henriksson, Vinny Villbass foto by Gustavsen

Homegrown Country tunes and feelings of Herbst oder Winter?

2010-11-15T14:56:00.000+01:00

Mississippi Train Trestle Kids, 2010

2010-11-01T18:15:00.000+01:00

BAM Tumblr

2010-10-20T01:48:00.003+02:00

MUSCLE TEMPLE in Action on Tumblr

2010-10-20T01:43:00.001+02:00

http://muscletemple.tumblr.com/

Image here: © Britney Anne Majure

Hello from Here: Reporting on Life and Eating from Another Dimension

2010-10-02T17:30:00.001+02:00

It's Friday night folks, and there's loads of things happening in the city of Berlin! And guess where we are...home. I'm writing this dorky blog post instead. And why? Well we have a lil something called FOOD POISONING. When I tell people we have 'food poisoning', they have different responses. Some Europeans think that the food was actually poisoned [hence one of the many issues foreigners have with English being too dramatic and not literal enough]. The Americans think I just ate some bad takeout and will be back at work tomorrow. But most feel sorry for us and sympathize [as many others were also at that fancy dinner, and delicious dinner I should add! and they have it too]. But here's something: 'that fancy dinner' happened a week ago right now, and I am not at a fancy gathering tonight. No. I am up with yet another stomach ache, and poor Magnus [who has it worse!] is laying in bed with one too. It's been a week, and it seems to just keep coming back for us...but each battle a lil better than the last. We've actually won a few...

Despite the pain[and I mean PAIN, maybe the worst we've ever experienced] we've been in without proper meals, caffeine[!!!!!!!!!], or chocolate[!], we've managed to keep each other laughing, well at least a few times a day...and we've caught up on a few books, talks, news items, tv shows[yuckie], art history, Dylan, Roman history, Ben Hur, etc. ya know...But mostly we realized how wonderful it was that we had each other to depend on...not in a very romantic way. Haaa. But more in the Bubba and Forest kind of way. And most importantly, we value LIFE and good HEALTH even more now! Thank God. Oh how the body is a complex piece of work.

We've even taken up a few new past times. We now are pretty friendly with the birds outside our bedroom window, particularly the yellow breasted kjøttmis [meat mice in Norwegian..yeah I don't get it either!], and have decided to be professional bird watchers at some point in our careers. We have given names to each of our toes and can even make them sing from time to time. Magnus reminded me several times that he inherited from his Father this very funny way of moving his pinky finger as fast as a hummingbird moves its wings. We can imagine and describe our childhood bedrooms from top to bottom, left to right. Magnus taught me how to open a banana using two fingers only, like a true monkey. We also now are very savy in chess, written our own novelas, and can count backwards from 1 million! Ok, ok, but you get our drift. It's been a long week. But we are feeling like we are possibly conquering this lil bugger, and he will be history soon! I enjoyed working on these two images this week, to remind me of the colorful and exciting neighborhood outside our windows that we can return to very soon hopefully.

Hope your journey this week brought you to a nice place...or least showed you a few pretty birds like we've seen..

©Britney Anne Majure

MUSCLE TEMPLE & MING WONG PRESENT...Friday!

2010-09-21T23:59:00.001+02:00

Event reads:
Since Ming is exhibiting at NBK this Friday, we decided to arrange a:

JAM DANCE FEIERABEND!

MUSCLE TEMPLE, SPONSORED BY BLAD MAGAZINE, PRESENTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH MING WONG:
THE NEW BERLINER ARTISTS & CURATORS DANCE COMPANY - AFTERPARTY!

We are proud to announce:
-LIVE performance by none other than the one and only DAN BODAN!
-50-60s lounge DJs Vorher & Nachher.
-Followed by the usual Magical Musical Disco Explosion by Muscle Temple DJs Muscle Magnus + Muscle Petri.

Time: 23.00
Address: Adalbertstr 9
Between 1st & 2nd Hof - on 4th floor
Close to Kottbusser Tor:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode&q=Adalbertstr+9+Berlin&sll=52.492329%2C13.339025&sspn=0.007917%2C0.01929&ie=UTF8&hq&hnear=Adalbertstra%C3%9Fe+9%2C+Kreuzberg+10999+Berlin%2C+Germany&z=16&iwloc=A

Art Forum Scene & Herd

2010-06-28T19:00:00.002+02:00

Magnus and I recently shot the Berlin Biennale for the Scene and Herd section of Art Forum. I was really busy with the Slideluck Potshow happening the same time, so Magnus went to most of the openings and parties and shot most of the images. Here are some of our favorites that Art Forum didn't use:

It's Tonight Folks! Slideluck Potshow Berlin III!

2010-06-10T14:13:00.000+02:00

The show kicks off in a few hours....The participating artists are:

Alicia Ross * Andrea Gjestvang * Andreas Gefeller * Andy Levin * Anya Jasbar * Ashe Kazanjian * Britney Anne Majure * Cezary Zacharewicz * Chiara Dazi * Christian Reister * Daniel Augschoell * David Rae Morris * Emile Hyperion Dubuisson * Esther-Judith Hinz * Fiona Struengmann * Goodyn Green * Jan von Holleben * Jeff Harris * Jonah Samson * Jowhara AlSaud * Klaus Muenzner * Lindsay Isola * Magnus Bjerk * Michael Grecco * Michael Harms * Mila Teshaieva * Mirko Tsotchew * Nick Shiflet * Nicolo Lanfranchi * Ninna Berger * Olivier Blaecke * OSTKREUZ * Robin F. Williams * Shepard Fairey * Sven Jacobsen * Thomas Graichen * Thomas Lobenwein

Warszawa & New Things To Click On...

2010-05-27T23:48:00.014+02:00

Vistula River, Warsaw © Britney Anne Majure

Hello Hallo!

Long time/no talk. And many things to talk about!

Magnus' show in Warsaw was a hit, and the other artists, curators and friends involved were loads of fun and full of interesting info. Check out the work and text here. The last minute building of containers [up until vernissage time :)] was quite a scare, but the Polish ways and people were so charming we had a hard time even noticing the alarmingness of the situation. These people are so lovely! I love this country and will be back there again and again very very soon...even if the train does break down sometimes in the countryside for quite some time without a word in German or English or even French on the status of the situation. It made it all the more exciting and gave us the chance to drink more Polish beer and watch deer in the forests!

Also, Magnus' website is finished! Our friend Stephane Leonard did a fantastic job and will now start working on my old site as well. He's greaaaaat. Check out his blog and sweet work and projects here.

And the new Slideluck Potshow site http://slideluckpotshow.com/ is up now as well! Magnus and I have slideshows on the New Orleans page:
http://slideluckpotshow.com/slps-new-orleans#

If you're in town June 10th, I'm helping to orchestrate SLPS Berlin III. Come join for the slideshow, potluck and hopefully a nice afterparty.
http://network.slideluckpotshow.com/events/slps-berlin-iii

love
britney anne

I met Woody, almost met Woody, met Woody, almost met Woody...snapshot scenario of this incredible happening

2010-03-23T21:29:00.027+01:00

Bad day today. Might have to leave Berlin due to German bureaucracy [but probably not, no worries! More on this later..]. I leave the office, cry a little bit, kick some stones, feel sorry for myself...and then I see Woody. Not the actual man, but a poster of his glasses with jazz notes flying out saying he will play in 4 hours. I immediately open my camera bag, take out my sharpies, writing pad and camera, and walk to the back door entrance of the music hall. He will be arriving soon!

Sure enough, I find some of the autogramm folks waiting patiently with their glossy prints of Woody. These guys are always characters in Berlin! I love them. So we chat about Woody and make small talk in the beginning. Then I notice what a nice day today is! How the birds are chirping, and it's sunny outside. Berlin is SUNNY! So I decide I could wait too with the cool autogramm kids, at least for ten minutes or so...I must return home soon to prepare my income reports for immigration.

And I guess I could take some pictures in the meantime...

And I kinda dressed like a New Yorker today...wonder if Woody likes to wear Converses too. Maybe he will like me right away, ask me in, and we'll hang some after the show...and he'll go with me to the Auslanderbehorde on Thursday? Yeahhh, Woody saves the day!

Ah maybe he knows something about Woody! He looks kind of like a fan...maybe....maybe not.

I hear the security say something about the Autobahn and something else, maybe about being lost? Oh no! Woody is lost! And it's starting to get colder...Ahh a coffee would be nice. But the cafe at this joint looks pricey...ahh and too bad that car is there.

The autogramm kids seem to want to speak English again...'What? Yes, this is a Sharpie.' Turns out, I am the cool cat here, as the Autogramm people love Sharpies and cannot buy them in Germany! Yeah, Sharpies are kind of cool. They remind me of my Mom and Dad writing on X-ray film.

I wonder how many bikes are sold in Berlin each day...has to be a crazy amount. They are everywhere...she looks nice in this light. Snap!

Berliners smoke a lot of cigarettes too...and these Autogramm folks especially smoke a lot! Well they do wait a lot for long periods of time. I guess they need something to do...awww why do cigarettes always make nice photos?

I guess I could take some pictures of my head with this sunny sky?

Ha! That one's pretty funny...

Wilco! I hear Wilco...where is that coming from. You never hear Wilco in Berlin...

The tour bus with the musicians! Maybe...maybe? Why would a bunch of old jazz musicians be sitting all couped up in a bus listening to Wilco? awww, maybe it's just the opening band or something. Should I knock? It's been a while since I've done such a thing...and who cares about meeting the opening band anyways. I am here to see Woody.

Ah man, I AM COLD NOW! I don't think I can handle this much longer. It's been almost two hours now, and no sign of Woody. No coffee here, no food here...but the birds are still chirping and the sun is so nice shining on the trees!

The security guys seem to be bracing for the arrival now...uh oh..ok. I can stay a little bit longer...Oh! Maybe in one of these cars pulling up...

No, that can't be right. It has to be a Mercedes or something right?

Ok, I can't handle this any longer. Ah so sad! I might not see him. What's more exciting, seeing Woody or the thought of seeing Woody? Whichever, I seem fulfilled already! I was crying and now I am hanging out with the possibility of seeing Woody Allen and bringing him to the Aulanderbehorde! I think it's time to go. It is done...sorry Stephen and Zack, but I want a coffee and have to figure out my German income and taxes for 2009.

Love,
Britney
PS That's not my cigarette up there by the way Momma. Like I said, everyone smokes in Europe. Everyone but me.

Chãn khít thẽung Muang Thai wan níi..

2010-02-21T13:27:00.012+01:00

Some of my favorite portraits ♥

2010-02-19T01:07:00.013+01:00

Public Bus, San Diego, California

Magnus Bjerk, Berlin

Market Brothers, La Bufadora, Mexico

Jakob and his teeth, Norway

Fanny, PS1

Tara T and Fanny, NYC

Birthday Girl, Athens, Georgia

All photos © Britney Anne Majure

Glienicke Bridge Early, Late, Early, Late, Early, Late...

2010-02-13T14:03:00.009+01:00

© Britney Anne Majure

I had an assignment from SIPA recently to photograph the very historical Glienicke Bridge near Potsdam. The Soviet Union and the United States formerly used this bridge to exchange captured spies during the Cold War, and the Bridge was referred to as the Bridge of Spies by reporters. It was super super frostbiting cold, but quite an experience to spend so much time alone with this eery bridge.

Lisa Marie and All That Follows...

2010-01-22T16:35:00.007+01:00

Mehr Eisbaden in Berlin

2010-01-20T13:50:00.007+01:00

© Britney Anne Majure

I had to upload just one more image from my working series on Eisbaden in Berlin. I've attended a few of these weekly sessions of swimming in the ice water, and last week they had a splendid carnival time. The world they've created is like no other I've ever seen. It's natural, yet feels unnatural to an American like me who is not used to people walking around naked outside [!]. The humor, the naked joy, the freedom, and just pure elation these people breathe is inspiring and delightful. I really enjoy photographing this eccentric community!

Michael, above, is most interesting, as he was one of the founding members of the Eisbaden Berlin club in 1969 [he was 19] along with three others. They are now very many and attract hundreds each year for their carnival. I plan to interview him soon with his daughter translating or with a German journalist I commonly work with in Berlin.

Happy Winter everyone!
Love BA

brooklyn bathroom / norwegian sky diptych

2010-01-20T00:59:00.005+01:00

New Camera...Vintage Model

2010-01-20T00:39:00.009+01:00

Eisbaden Carnival Berlin 2010

2010-01-12T22:58:00.019+01:00

Skogs-Children

2009-10-30T13:20:00.010+01:00

Some days in Berlin are just lovely...

2009-10-26T23:10:00.018+01:00

SONIC YOUTH PLAYS BERLIN

2009-10-23T23:53:00.007+02:00

Magnus on Fotopia

2009-10-23T15:38:00.003+02:00

coming soooooon [!]....

2009-10-22T15:54:00.005+02:00

Upstate Girls - an open ended documentary project started by Brenda Ann Kenneally

2009-10-16T11:51:00.003+02:00

http://www.upstategirls.org/about.html

Very Pure Thoughts..

2009-10-16T00:07:00.013+02:00

© Britney Anne Majure

Lots of work to do these days, and nothing keeps me going more than these kinds of thoughts...
Riding in a pink Cadillac on a deserted highway in New Mexico listening to 'Innnn Dreaaams' by Roy Orbison...Imagining a sweet faced, long bearded man on a mountain yodeling the high notes of Joanne...Wiggling my hips to Sympathy for the Devil while sippin' on a scotch and soda at 151 Rivington...Dancing on a lit up floor at Thunders Tavern listening to Baccara, Yes Sir I Can Boogie...ok maybe not at Thunders, but you get the picture...Thinking about what it was like to be Elvis...or Priscilla maybe...Winning my passport and camera back from the greedy lil Frenchman who stole it. Gotchaaa....Slicing the water with my arms in a swimming pool in the Turks and Caicos..or Destinnn would do fine...Strutting down Ave. A with the exciting feeling I used to get thinkin that I might run into Boy George like my friend did that time...Sitting in Gorlitzer Park with Magnus on a delightful summer day in Berlin...Eating freshly picked strawberries in the Norwegian woods with you know who...Playing with Ms. Tatum Claire alllll of December[!]...Talkin with my neighborhood folk in Nonthaburrrrrri and learning Thai from Patpum under the street lights across from the gypsy families and elephants.....FINISHING allllll this dadburn work and heading out to a warm place for a little while next spring..oh gracious yessss...

Go see Zack's Award Screening of God's Architects tonight in NOLA!

2009-10-15T14:04:00.002+02:00

GOD'S ARCHITECTS trailer from Zack Godshall on Vimeo.

Details on tonight here. Congratulations Zack!

OH NO! It's another MUSCLE Temple Party Friday!

2009-10-13T19:59:00.001+02:00

pink and white in a gallery...

2009-10-12T23:36:00.000+02:00

Cutest baby in the world who also likes clowns too...♥♥♥♥♥

2009-10-12T22:29:00.005+02:00

InterviewProject.com in Long Beach, Mississippi

2009-10-12T20:48:00.006+02:00

InterviewProject.com

Photocrew on Facebook and Twitter! Hooraa!

2009-10-12T18:00:00.004+02:00

Hey kidos, if you have an interest in the photo industry and want to share your work or explore the work of other cool folks like yourself, check out Photocrew.com and our new Facebook and Twitter pages! ♥B

I ♥ William!

2009-10-09T14:35:00.002+02:00

Good one that keeps runnin' through my head...

2009-10-06T18:36:00.001+02:00

Laughing in German...text and photos by the lovelies Skye von der Osten & Anne Lena Mösken

2009-10-04T23:21:00.008+02:00

To see the article in full, click here...♥B

Magnus Bjerk's ’The Inside Of The Outside Of The Inside’ at Oslo Open, pics by Matthew J. Thomas

2009-10-01T20:35:00.009+02:00

http://www.inaplusmatt.com

The Blundering Accounts [Somewhat] of Saturday, September 19th, 2009

2009-09-28T21:44:00.005+02:00

08:05: Board train from Bern to Mulhouse, saying goodbye to Switzerland.
11:35: Arrive in Mulhouse, grab suitcases and bags, run off train before it leaves for Strasborg.
11:15: While waiting for bus to some lil ole small town outside Paris, which will lead to train to Paris, I realize I left my backpack with camera, lenses, flash, passport, and phone on top shelf, middle of train, near door, handicap seat [Yes, in the handicapped seats ☹. Karma got me I guess].
11:16-11:17: A lot of crying.
11:18: Rush to Info. desk of station to find a very kind, yet too relaxed and passive station worker who frowns at me and shakes head that I will probably not get bag back.
11:19-12:00: Kind, but young and too chilled out station worker makes calls to an operator who is supposedly making calls to the train operator who is supposedly alerting the train workers who are supposedly searching for bag.…right….and efforts to no avail.
12:01: I say goodbye to Mom and Dad, send them off on fast train to Paris, and assure them we will be reunited at 22:40ish in Paris that night in the Latin Quarter. Not sure where, but it will happen! Woohoo.
12:05: Board train to Strasborg in search of bag with BA’s life.
12:40-12:55: Arrive in Strasborg and go directly to baggage handling with note in French about bag loss [written by kind, chilled out Mulhouse station worker]…baggage man tells me with his eyes that my case is hopeless. He speaks no English but seems somewhat sympathetic. We fill out a bunch of useless paperwork that makes me fill a little bit better.
12:56-12:58: More crying.
12:59-14ish: Ride train back and forth between lil towns in Alsace searching for bag.
14:02: Through yet another very kind translator, I find out from an operator that my bag with camera has been found. I am skeptical, as this is so weird at this point and no bag is at hand yet.
14:04: Jump off train in a little town that I will never remember the name of in order to go back to Strasborg again to retrieve bag from somewhat sympathetic baggage man.
14:34: Arrive back in Strasborg and go directly to baggage man. Somewhat sympathetic baggage man tells me in French that I must come back at 19:00 to get bag. ????
14:41-14:48: More crying.
14:49-15:23: I figure out that I will miss train already paid and reserved and realize I have only 40 euro and new ticket will be 59 euro. I cry. I cry some more. I finally talk station into giving me a free ticket on fast train to Paris. Oh sweet Jesus and the somewhat kind people of Franceeeee!
15:24-17:35: Find small little Indian Internet shop in basement of train station. Ahh so nice. I smile…Get a little work done for Photocrew.
17:38-17:57: Sit at bar with tap beer and baguette. I can always afford a beer and baguette ☺. Man near me will not leave me alone as I try to escape the insane day and situation. He smiles with eyes that make me want to barf. I try to avoid these eyes and feel absolutely miserable. I want to talk to Magnus. I want my Mom and Dad. I want my camera.
18:00-18:57: Back to sweet Indian Internet shop in basement with affordable Daim chocolate ☺.
18:59: I arrive at baggage to claim bag…and the somewhat sympathetic baggage man has it. The little black backpack circa 1998 looked so sad and floppy. I open it. No camera. No photo equipment at all.
19:00: I cry. I freak out. I let the somewhat sympathetic baggage man know that I know there is a camera in the station that belongs to me and I want it back now. He looks very scared.
19:02: Somewhat sympathetic and sacred baggage man tells me to go away and come back in an hour, in French.
19:03: I sit outside and cry. The kindest African family ever comforts me. Wow. They want to know all of the details and how they can help…Wow. Some people huh.
19:15: I go back to sweet Internet Indian folk. They don’t make me pay again without even knowing the situation. They were just very nice.
19:59: I return to baggage man who brings me to a back room and hands me a garbage bag. He’s beaming from ear to ear as though he won the lottery for me…and he did! Either he stole it and gave it back, or he ‘found’ it. Who knows, but I got it allllll back! Amazing….it wasn’t there….and then it was there. Oh life is weird...oh and he made me kiss him...on both cheeks.
20:34: Board fast train to Paris….and find myself sitting in the middle of a French bachelor party…ahhh I am TIRED and annoyed.
20:52: Bachelor party offers me and my newfound friend Magda [yesss! Magda! But she is not related to the sweet sweet Magnus. No she’s not.] a beer. Ummm. Sure.
21:35: B and Magda become friends with annoying bachelor party and drink very nice Alsace beer and wine [wtih cheese of course!] allll the way to Paris.
10:40ish: PARIS FINALLY!
11:50ish: Run into my sweet Momma who has been pacing the streets of the Parisian Latin Quarter looking for her daughter for several hours. Awwww life is sweet sometimes ☺.

I Married Adventure..

2009-09-27T10:10:00.009+02:00

Well hellllooooo there! Yeah it's been a while. But oh ohhhh what a summer!

This morning I found a very terrible but wonderful Youtube video that I want to share with yall. When I was watching this terrible but wonderful video, I was brought back to my thrift shopping days [like the wonderful Salvation Army in Ocean Springs!] with Momma and Ashley. On one lucky trip I found a book called 'I Married Adventure.' Of course I actually bought the book because of its amazing title and zebra skin cover, but I ended up loving the text as well. It accounts the life of a woman named Osa from Chanute, Kansas after she married an explorer and fellow Kansasman named Martin Johnson. Martin and Osa studied the nature and people of East and Central Africa, the South Pacific Islands and British North Borneo. They explored then unknown lands and returned home sharing remnants of civilizations from far far away by showing their films and writings and giving lectures to their home folk. Here's a piece of one of their politically incorrect yet charming films...

Fun Times with the Folks in the Alps...

2009-09-24T16:07:00.006+02:00

Magnus Bjerk at Oslo Open, Norway

2009-09-22T09:45:00.008+02:00

© Magnus Bjerk

As a part of Oslo Open, Magnus will be showing a gigantic photograph, 8.59 x 12.96 meters, at the façade of Oslo Central Trainstation (Oslo S) next to the main entrance.

There will be a guided walk starting at Carl Berner T-bane (subway) station at 18.00 tomorrow WEDNESDAY which ends up at the Oslo S station. Map here.

Also as a part of Oslo Open, he will show 3 large (not gigantic) photographs in a group show at the Dagsavisen Library in Kristian IV Gate 13 (parallel street to Karl Johans gate). This opens a bit earlier: 16.30 also tomorrow WEDNESDAY. Map here.

So excited about seeing Magnus' beautiful print tomorrow!!!....but a little sad that the family had to leave me in Paris by myself :(. It was a really lovely time together in Europe..

MOMENTUM 2009 – 5th Nordic Biennial of Contemporary Art Favoured Nations 29 August – 18 October

2009-08-31T08:21:00.004+02:00

http://www.momentum.no/index.html

Vik Muniz on TED...oldie but goodie

2009-08-27T11:50:00.001+02:00

Sing Black Bird Vintage Shop!

2009-08-22T20:40:00.003+02:00

Check out Tasha and Diana's hot vintage shop online!!!

Beirut Beats and Bangles..

2009-08-19T11:19:00.006+02:00

© Britney Anne Majure
Despite the band rejecting an interview request and not accepting my invitation for some Mississippi cookin' with me and Magnus, I thought the show was fantastic. My review of the show on Buzzine coming soon! And you can find more images here.... Love from WARM Berlin. YEEaahh!

i ♥ beirut.

2009-08-19T11:03:00.003+02:00

Anybody want to buy me one of these...

2009-08-18T12:54:00.005+02:00

Vik Muniz
it's on sale here! awww bliss.

All in the Family...

2009-08-13T15:36:00.005+02:00

Eudora Welty is from Mississippi but is not part of the family unfortunately, but a very cool and fantastic rare book dealer in Asheville, North Carolina is part of the Majure family. And he's presently got a rare signed copy of Eudora Welty's The Optimist's Daughter along with many other Southern literature books. The other day Bill wrote me that he's now dealing in mostly Fine Art and Limited Editions Club books. Check out his website, Montpelier Books & Art here.

Photocrew Magazine Out!

2009-08-12T16:25:00.005+02:00

www.photocrew.com/magazine/

Photography is Easy, Photography is Difficult by Paul Graham

2009-08-11T20:24:00.005+02:00

Caitlin Price, Zdenka, 2009
Fantastic essay by Paul Graham. (Text was written for the Yale MFA photography graduation book - Yale MFA Photography 2009: We Belong Together)

Dark Matters Exhibition

2009-08-11T13:43:00.001+02:00

Skogen Children #2

2009-07-27T16:03:00.008+02:00

Test shot, age 10

2009-07-21T17:39:00.004+02:00

test shot...more coming soon!

Moon Walkin' in Norge

2009-07-20T15:31:00.009+02:00

photo courtesy of RMP Archive..of course.

You thinkin MTV 1981? [you can see that one below from 28 years ago this month!] Or...that 40 years ago today Mista Armstrong and Buzz walked on the moon! Still amazin! And last night, I dreamt Mister Magnus and I walked on the moon...We were standing together with Neil and Buzz in our shiny silver suits going up in an elevator until..we realized that we forgot our special cheese! Yes, that's right. It takes a very particular kind of gouda to get there. And we forgot it! Typical. I think we finally found the cheese and got there, though, cause I remember craters and weird dark lights and feeling weightlessness. It was graaaaand.

But my dreams in general lately have been a little strange, as I feel like I am on the moon whenever I am in Norway sometimes. They are speaking this strange [but beautiful!] language, calling very cold things 'warm', eating funny mushrooms and berries [that they picked!], and doing absolutely everything outside! It's still exotic to me, and I am loving it.

And just a tidbit here I want to share about the sad state of our poor photo industry, once again...

And I want to wish a BON VOYAGE to my dear sweet Ms. Tara Titone, as she is journeying from Florida to sweet home Louisio this week. New Orleans, get ready! T's in Town!

Missing yall in Norway,
love
Britney Anne

Magnus Bjerk at Olavsdagene Norway

2009-07-10T15:15:00.004+02:00

We leave for sweet Norge today and plan on swimming, laying in the sun, fishing with Magnus' Grandpa, and doing some work...but mainly just sun sun suuuun. Woohooo....And check out how big Ms. Tatum has gotten. Awww, and she smiles now too.

Christopher Street Day Berlin

2009-06-28T21:24:00.010+02:00

Awww I want to hang with Tatum today real bad.

2009-06-28T20:53:00.003+02:00

If I was the Sartorialist...

2009-06-28T19:11:00.006+02:00

RIP MJ

2009-06-26T12:46:00.004+02:00

Muscle Temple Concert Tomorrow Night!

2009-06-23T19:00:00.003+02:00

World Press Photo Exhibit 2009

2009-06-12T16:19:00.015+02:00

Last night I heard this gal named Callie Shell speak at the World Press Photo Exhibit Berlin opening. She's been shooting for Time, a lot in the White House, for the past few administrations and had loads of insight into this work to offer last night. Most importantly, though, I would like to point out that she seems to have a fondness only for the current administration :). Having been close to Obama photographing him for the past five years [even when he was a Senator and not even a presidential candidate yet], she definitely knows him pretty well and had only very positive things to say about him. She painted him in the same friendly light as the stereotype we have only seen in the media. One last lil tidbit was a funny anecdote about Bush's goodbye and exit out of the White House. She photographed him leaving and wishing the best to Obama and claims she heard him say, 'Free at last, free at last..'

There were also several contest winning images on display last night that were beyond words. This one by Yannis Kolesidis especially really hit me. It was a reminder to me of the pain and trouble many must go through, yet still, for equality and peace and the organization and work many do daily for these causes.

Lastly check out the Obama photos added recently to the RMP Archive that are selling like hotcakes!

CocoRosie Sweetness

2009-06-12T16:05:00.009+02:00

Brand Spankin' New

2009-06-09T16:00:00.003+02:00

Check out the new Photocrew site that published last night!

Foto Baryo

2009-06-09T15:48:00.003+02:00

Bebe Time

2009-05-22T00:14:00.012+02:00

ⓒ Erin Majure Willcutt

Yes, Erin took the picture. I'm so jealous! But isn't this baby babe amaaaaazing? Ahhhh bliss. I love her.

Due the birth of Tatum Claire Willcutt, I have not blogged in quite some time. Not much to report beyond the birth of Ms. Tatum, as she has been the center of our world for the past few weeks, or actually months! I did sign a contract with a news photo agency a few weeks ago to shoot for them, have set up some shoots for my trips coming up, played in the garden with my Dad and Buddy, laid on the beach and by the river and worshiped the rays [!], hung out with lotsa family and my Grandmother in the hospital, dined with Lil' Ash, and learned all the ends and outs of baby makin' and keepin'. It's been divine and lovely and all too short. But next week, I leave again and head back East.

Also, Photocrew.com is about to get a face lift and has been noted on Look3 Photo Festival blog this week. Yeah!!

And Canon USA has lost all of my respect. I am buying another Nikon soon. Goodbye to Canon forever!!!!!! I am over the abuse.

JUST A LITTLE EDIT HERE [weeks later] THAT CANON WON ME BACK WITH A FREE CAMERA! I guess they are not so bad..

Love from sweet, sweet, sweeeeet Mississippi..

Kreuzkölln kids are the coolest..

2009-04-13T16:54:00.003+02:00

Our 15 minutes..

2009-04-07T23:24:00.017+02:00

Tasha Arana, handbag designer ⓒ Britney Anne Majure

Berlin has become more alive in the past few days! The sun is shining, kids are playing in the streets, the market stinches like old cheese again, and Magnus, Tasha, and I made the NY Post! But my most favorite part of the whole shabang was finding one reader [MR.-ANGRY-MAN-BARRY] who hated the article and wants to beat me and Tasha up in a bar. I am researching for contact info. for this Post reader so that we can have a drink in May. Watch out Barry, I'm coming to Jersey! Woohoo. The online version does not give me and Magnus photo credits either. Booo to the online world having no regard for photog. recognition.

On another note...Berlin is truly a different city at the moment. I live with the French doors open, eat as many meals outside as possible, get less work done, take more pictures, eat less 'winter' vegetables [YES!], eat more fruit [yesss!], go to yoga class again, write more, and I've taken a liking to condiments. I put ketchup, mustard and mayo on everything!!!...HA. That'll be the day. It just sounded a little funny there, didn't it? Nah, condiments still remain as evil things in my book. It's like sneakers. Why oh whyyy. But converse aren't sneakers, are they? I forgot about those...and chutney and honey are not condiments either, chai mai?

Also, I plan to be in New York, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Mississippi and Paris during my Tatum Claire trip in May if anyone needs a photographer...or at least wants to share a drink by a body of water. I specifically NEED the Gulf of Mexico! The River Spree's not cuttin' it!

Tourists at Home and Abroad

2009-04-01T20:10:00.037+02:00

Sognefjorden, Norway ⓒ Britney Anne Majure

Redhead at Graceland Memphis, Tennessee ⓒ Britney Anne Majure

Oh how I've always loved watching tourists, and how much fun it is playing the part myself! But this has not always been true...I first traveled abroad when I was 18 years old. I and several other extremely lucky high school students left Pascagoula, Mississippi in July 1998 for Paris, France. One of my first memories of Paris were the tourists, and I did not want to be one. I attempted replacing my Gap get-ups and tennis shoes with scarves and hats immediately. And I didn't want to speak in public. Speak English? Ha. Yeah right...um so? Pretty comical. But I ate crepes and croques, wore my scarves, and drank wine only at night. I was determined to not seem too American, or God forbid look like a tourist...fast forward to September 2002 in Taipei..alone. Ok, so now I can really look like I fit in, right? No tour group, lotsa scarves again, and of course no tennis shoes. Never again! So sitting in the airport and decide to sleep there for the night, instead of hunting out a hotel for one night [was on my way to my move to Bangkok]. "[Jibber jabber in Taiwanese here]," Ahhh! I get woken up and thrown out of airport. Apparently they noticed I didn't live there..so walking the streets of Asia for the first time in my life looking for a place to sleep, in the middle of the night. And who do I find speaking English, a tour group from the states. HA. They offer me a room with a discount in their hotel, and I of course join in..and included was a midnight tour of the city with the tour group...so then life in Bangkok. Well in the first few days, I was hit by a bus. Apparently I stuck out there too. I was a lot taller than the Thai in general, and everyone noticed that my students seemed to have a 'different' type of English speaking accent [I sometimes wonder how many Thai people are using the pronoun yall. What else is there?] And taxi drivers and shop vendors were cheating me left and right. So I decided I had to learn Thai in order to not stand out so. I eventually learned extremely rough street Thai, bought old man fisherman pants, and got by looking like part of the neighborhood finally. And it felt gooood...and then to the Caribbean. I now invested in flowy white linen stuff and boat wear and ate a lot of conch. Umm yeah..One of my first nights in the Turks & Caicos, I decided to sleep in the back of a restaurant while my friends continued dancing, and woke up in the morning with burglar alarms going off at the local bar and restaurant. Who's this girl, the islanders said...yeah and then NYC. That was easy. Just wear black and look serious on the train, and maybe read a book. Then you can fit in there. But anytime I found a sweet Southern accent carrying loads of Chinatown bags, I just had to say something to them and keep them talking. Ahh music to the ears...and now Berlin. I have to say at this point in my life, not sure if it's age or just experience, but I could care less whether I have enough scarves on or whether my accent sounds too foreign to the place. And lately I really love when Magnus sounds Southern without knowing it. And anyways, everyone in Berlin is a tourist. It's a city of immigrants really, and well I am an immigrant, and one from Mississippi. [blog coming up btw on why country music is one of the most important forms of music. To think how much Erin and I used to hate it!]...but I still don't wear tennis shoes. I mean, come on really.

The Glorious Türken-Markt

2009-03-24T10:41:00.005+01:00

Rock & Roll Berlinin'

2009-03-23T14:14:00.014+01:00

Silver Wings © Britney Anne Majure, 2009

I found it! Finally, a club that plays rock music in Berlin! Amazing that in the city that offers so much for music, I have a hard time finding good ole rock & roll. But after shooting for a job at a club on the grounds of the old Nazi airport Tempelhof, I discovered my new favorite hang. I have never really been a club going girl, well except for those few years in New York when I thought the Meatpacking District was cool. Ha, yeah don’t be a hater. I was naive and just wanted to dance! Hey, but APT is STILL kinda cool right?..well maybe just the very good hip hop night on Wednesdays if that still happens…But anyway, whenever I met Magnus and found out that he liked to go dancing in clubs in Berlin, I was a bit hesitant. But I also knew that my new love was not the type to frequent the cheese ball clubs that I grew to despise in New York. So when I first went out dancin' and a prancin' in Berlin, I found that these were REAL clubs. But of course they are, it’s Berlin! I’ve always known that this city was famous for it, but I had no clue how fantastic and fun it could be to dance to techno…but then yeah it is techno or electro, etc. I’ve been attempting to read and listen more to real dance music, but some things just aren’t your thang, ya know. The atmospheric feeling to these clubs is most interesting to me. I go there to feel these places that are strange to me and try to understand why this music moves so many people here…but in the end, I am a true lover of rock & roll, as it has been ingrained in me since birth and has always fueled my veins like the sweet Mississippi feeds the Southern land. To me it is the bread and butter, the bees knees, the hiiinz skippity dooooo of all music. So whenever I entered this club Silver Wings [a lil silly, but think John Waters and shiny lightning bolts on a flashy, long chevy from the 50s instead of strict military outfits and such] and was greeted by greasers, punks, Betty Boopish cuteys and long hoop skirts swirling to everything from Buddy Holly to the Kinks to the Ramones, I immediately fell in love. Woohoo. So I will go back. And since Magnus and I tend to meet up in a few genres of rock, he’s decided he wants to try it out too. And I think his Americana get-ups will really be a hit there :)…ok so I have been listening to More Songs About Buildings & Food now over and over again for inspiration while writing this and I am finally gonna change the record now...So now T-Rex or The Knife? It’s raining and grey in Berlin today and I actually wanna jam to some Heartbeats. I guess it can’t always be rock & roll time…but I'd also like to send out some love to the East Village today. Ahhh, I wonder how Lucy is doing. Someone send me an update!