The Palace of Dreams is a photo-novella that combines fine-art photography with fiction, exploring meaning, memory & connection.
I’ve always been intrigued by the collision of fantasy and reality – the soft voices of our imagination whispering against the strong shouts of what we know to be true. Over my years as a photographer, I've often reflected on the paradox of the camera. On one hand we cannot doubt that a photograph (doctored images aside) captures “what is”. A photograph presents us with an objective view of reality – it etches onto the film the exactness, down to the most minute details, of an item, a place, an event, that really did exist at that very moment. But it is only a moment. It is a brief moment captured in a small frame, and as complete as the camera is in capturing every detail within that frame, it is completely ignorant of everything else. There is a whole world of which the camera says nothing, to which our imagination must speak. And so on the other hand a photograph becomes a fiction, not just a document of what really was, but a canvas for what might have been. A photograph becomes a space into which our own personal stories can creep, turning the details before our eyes into mirrors for our thoughts.
The Palace of Dreams emerged out of this idea of a photograph as both a fiction and a reality, and out of a trip to a very special home in Sydney, Australia. I hope you'll take a few minutes to watch the video, in which I explain the genesis of the project and my artistic process regarding it. Creativity can be infectious. Art creates art and inspiration inspires inspiration. The Palace of Dreams was inspired through this sort of chain reaction, and I think that makes it the perfect project for Kickstarter - a platform that aims to do through technology what artists aim to do through their art: connect with others, spark new ideas, and hopefully put something out into the world that takes on a life of its own.
To move from philosophy to practicality, I'm looking for your help to print The Palace of Dreams as a beautiful high-quality 8x10 hardcover art book. I've completed the layout of the book, and the entire book is available for you to read on my website here. Because part of the idea behind the book is that art begets art, it's important to me that the book be printed in such a way that makes it inexpensive, and therefore accessible to anyone who may want it, perhaps serving as a spark for their own creative endeavors.
Keeping the quality of the book high, but the cost low, requires high-volume offset printing. I've already coordinated with a printer to do the book run, and our calculations have set the funding requirements for this project. We're ready to start the presses and put this out into the world, so now all we need is you!
I've tried to set up a series of different rewards that I think have a fun variety. In addition to getting a signed book for just $25, I'm also using the fact that I've been living in Kolkata, India for the last year to throw in a cool authentic Indian trinket for any pledges $50 or over! I show a few more examples of these in the video, and I'll pick one out for you from one of the many street-side stalls that dot the roads here:
Lastly, for larger pledges, I'm also including the opportunity to pick out gallery quality archival pigment-ink prints of different sizes from my portfolio of other photographic work. I invite you to take a look at my website at www.blurrybike.com.
Thanks for taking the time and interest in this project. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or thoughts. I'd love to hear from you and hear about your own ideas on art and fiction and reality and the creative process.
-Dave King
Credits: I'd like to acknowledge that the beautiful musical score in the opening of the video is a composition by Marcel Pequel. The track is called "Eight", from his album "One to Nine". His clean minimalist work is available on the Free Music Archive here. I'd also like to thank Per Bokmand and Carlos Navaro at the Bang & Olufsen Showroom and Art Gallery. They have created a very unique gallery space in a fantastic location on Lincoln Road in South Beach, Miami. I'll be exhibiting there this September and that upcoming show has served as a fantastic impetus to get The Palace of Dreams out into the world. I highly recommend that anyone in the Miami area who has a chance to check the space out, do so. You can find more information about the gallery here.
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May 7, 2012 -
May 27, 2012
- First created · 1 backed
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- Website: BlurryBike.com
Pledge $10 or more
1 backer
GRATITUDE, GOOD KARMA & A POSTCARD PRINT: A postcard sized print of an original image from the Blurry Bike Studio with a personally written thank-you note, and a solid dose of good karma.
Estimated delivery: Sep 2012Pledge $25 or more
26 backers
GOOD KARMA & A BOOK: A signed hardcover copy of The Palace of Dreams to accompany your personally written thank-you postcard print from the Blurry Bike Studio and your dose of good karma.
Estimated delivery: Sep 2012Pledge $50 or more
13 backers
ALL THAT & AN INDIAN TRINKET: A really fun reward to make the most out of the fact that I'm living in India right now! Get everything as in the previous reward: a personally written thank-you postcard print from the Blurry Bike Studio and a signed hardcover copy of The Palace of Dreams, BUT ALSO get a wonderful authentic Indian trinket from Kolkata, selected by me from one of the myriad of street-side vendors in the city. (See some examples in the project description and the video.) These are sure to help inspire your next creative endeavor or spice up your mantle! (And they are a great way to support the local economy here, so they double your dose of good karma.)
Estimated delivery: Sep 2012Pledge $75 or more
4 backers
CHOOSE YOUR OWN IMAGE: Is there a particular image of mine that strikes your fancy? Pledge this amount and instead of getting a 4x6 thank-you postcard with an image of my choosing, receive a signed 5x7 gallery quality archival pigment-ink print of any image you select from the Blurry Bike Studio website. Of course, you'll also get a signed hardcover copy of The Palace of Dreams and a wonderful Indian trinket from Kolkata.
Estimated delivery: Sep 2012Pledge $100 or more
18 backers
A LARGER PRINT OF YOUR CHOICE: A signed 8x10 gallery quality archival pigment-ink print of an image of your choosing from the Blurry Bike Studio, along with a signed hardcover copy of The Palace of Dreams and a wonderful Indian trinket.
Estimated delivery: Sep 2012Pledge $150 or more
2 backers
FOR ASPIRING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Sometimes another set of eyes looking at your images can help move your compositions in exciting new directions. Pledge this amount and in addition to receiving the rewards above, I'll also do a half-hour portfolio review with you over the phone, analyzing 20 of your own images. If you have more technical than aesthetic questions, we can also use the time to discuss things like aperture vs. shutter-speed, depth-of-field, lens selection and the effects of focal length, color correction, post-processing RAW workflow, printing processes, and gallery presentation. For international contributors, we'll do the review either over Skype or via email.
Estimated delivery: Sep 2012Pledge $250 or more
3 backers
SOMETIMES BIGGER IS BETTER: Do you have an empty spot on the wall that needs some art and 8x10 isn't quite going to cut it? Pledge this amount and receive a signed 11x14 gallery quality archival pigment-ink print of an image of your choosing from the Blurry Bike Studio, along with a signed hardcover copy of The Palace of Dreams and a wonderful Indian trinket. If you're also an aspiring photographer, this reward can include the portfolio review described above if desired.
Estimated delivery: Sep 2012Pledge $500 or more
0 backers
GALLERY SIZE LIMITED EDITION 16x24 PRINTS: These prints really stand out, and are the size I frequently display in gallery shows. With only a limited number printed per image, they are also perfect for collectors. Pledge this amount and receive a signed and numbered limited edition (only 20 prints made per image) 16x24 gallery quality archival pigment-ink print of an image of your choosing from the Blurry Bike Studio, along with a signed hardcover copy of The Palace of Dreams and a wonderful Indian trinket. Please provide your top 2 or 3 choices of image, since prints are limited to 20 per image and may be sold out.
Estimated delivery: Sep 2012Pledge $750 or more
0 backers
LIMITED EDITION PRINT + PORTFOLIO: As above, but also included with the print, the Indian trinket, and The Palace of Dreams, is a hardcover copy of my photographic portfolio: Thoughts & Images, Images & Thoughts. This portfolio contains over 100 images, in 7 series of works, with essays about each series, and a bonus short story. The portfolio is a beautiful 11x14 coffee-table quality hardcover, printed on demand by Blurb.
Estimated delivery: Sep 2012Pledge $1,000 or more
1 backer
DINNER AT THE GALLERY OPENING ON SOUTH BEACH: If you are going to be in the Miami area in September, receive the same rewards as above, but get them in person at the gallery opening for my photography show at the Bang & Olufsen Art Gallery. After the opening, let me show my thanks for this huge contribution by taking you out to dinner on South Beach. If you live in the Boston/Cambridge area instead, we'll do dinner somewhere around there after I return from the opening.
Estimated delivery: Sep 2012
