Neil LaBute and Gerald Slota never met in person. It started with a brief candid email message, that gave birth to one of the most provocative—and unforgettable—text-and-image collaborations.
“I’ve been an admirer of your work for a very long time,” wrote Gerald Slota, a photographer known for making edgy images featuring collaged or out-of-focus elements, vivid colors and his subjects’ poked-out eyes to the playwright, screenwriter and movie director Neil LaBute (In the Company of Men, Your Friends & Neighbors, The Mercy Seat). That was back in January 2008. In his message, Slota invited LaBute to collaborate with him on some kind of project that would bring together his photographic images with brief texts penned by a writer who has become known for his nothing-is-off-limits studies of human relations. LaBute’s plays and films have earned him the label “misanthrope”—and that’s one of the more generous and polite reactions his work has provoked.
Interested, LaBute shot back a message to Slota proposing something “just slightly creepy” on that immortal, Tolstoyan theme, the family. Soon, the two artists were off and running. Their recollections of the kinds of sweet-sour or affectionate-sinister gestures, sayings and actions they both associated with family members and family life first took the form of a series of what are known in the greeting-card business as “all-occasion cards.” No “Happy Birthday!” or “Happy Graduation!” salutations were printed inside. Instead, just a Slota photo and an accompanying, related LaBute text graced the front of each card. Aperture, the photography magazine, published an article about their work in its fall 2009 issue and also made the Slota-LaBute cards available for sale on its website. Still, how often was a cheerful well-wisher going to need a card that said: “my grandfather used to take photos of me when i was younger. so many polaroids in my little underwear.”?
Never mind. Together, Slota and LaBute have managed to represent the ineffable stuff of family dynamics in a way that is both inescapably provocative and decidedly memorable. Now, the text-and-image works the two artists created for their earlier card series are being shown as stand-alone photographic prints in the exhibition “Home.Sweet.Home.” (on view at Ricco/Maresca from October 14, 2010 through November 13, 2010). Marginal note: As of the opening of this show, the two artists still had not met in person. All of their communications had been carried out by e-mail.
The following excerpt from Slota and LaBute’s 2008-2010 e-mail exchange traces the development of the main theme and the specific content of their text-and-image series; it also offers a revealing look at the collaborative method of two very adventurous artists.
On Jan 22, 2008, at 3:07 PM, geraldslota wrote:
hello neil
hope all is well.
i’ve been an admirer of your work for a very long time….just saw mercy seat [great play] in nyc with bill hunt.
i’m writing to see if you would be interested in an artistic collaboration. i’m open to any ideas working in video/film/photo and looking forward to a new project.
i have a website: www.geraldslota.com
i can also send you a reel of my video work.
best
gerald
—–Original Message—–
From: Neil LaBute
To: geraldslota
Sent: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:54 am
Subject: Re: slota-photo-bill hunt- nyc
gerald:
thanks for the nice note!
i’m a fan as well–really loved the last pictures i saw.
don’t know what the collaboration might be but yes, i’d be interested in talking about it. have you ever done scenic design or do you have any interest in it? that might be interesting. or a book that i could write the text for–maybe very short stories with a picture of yours accompanying each of them?
something. let’s continue to think/talk.
nl
On Jan 24, 2008, at 9:03 AM, geraldslota wrote:
hello neil
great to hear back from you!
yes…scenic design has always interested me. i was up for something many years ago – it never came about – but i think my imagery would work very good in that context.
also, the short story idea is very intriguing. have you seen my fable series? thank so much for for your ideas. i’ll start brain- storming and be in touch soon.
looking forward to collaborating.
cheers!
gerald
—–Original Message—–
From: Neil LaBute
To: geraldslota
Sent: Thu, 24 Jan 2008 12:14 pm
Subject: Re: slota-photo-bill hunt- nyc
gerald:
pretty sure that i haven’t seen that series…i’d certainly be curious.
you know what we could do well and would be really pretty manageable AND might even make a buck or two? that would certainly be a novel experience!
a boxed set of gift cards–your images and a thought or sentence from me inside. without holiday attachment so you could use them for any occasion.
perfect for museums and book shops and shit like that. could be a blast.
nl
From the Fable series
On Jan 24, 2008, at 11:41 AM, geraldslota wrote:
hello neil
fantastic idea!…love it!!
i agree it would be a blast! it also could be tied into an exhibit
or book.
i’m starting a residency next week for a month, so i’ll have a lot of time to work. do you have some thoughts/sentences/passages in mind that i could run with?
to see fable go to www.geraldslota.com click on “gallery” and go to “fable”
thanks again.
cheers!
gerald
From the Fable series
—–Original Message—–
From: Neil LaBute
To: geraldslota
Sent: Fri, 25 Jan 2008 10:29 am
Subject: Re: slota-photo- bill hunt- nyc
what about a ‘family affair’ confessions series? something mostly normal but just slightly creepy that centers around family, home, etc.?
here’s a first little tidbit to start with. see where it takes you!
“some nights i slip inside my parents’ bedroom to watch them sleep.
if i’m very careful they don’t feel me sitting on the mattress.”
just a thought.
nl
On Jan 25, 2008, at 10:50 AM, geraldslota wrote:
WOW….really like it, images are flying in my head already !!
i think the ‘family affair’ is a very strong concept–something i’m close to and i think can cross over to a larger audience with it’s strange undertone that can make one smile with unease…
let’s run with it!
i’ll start working on some visual ideas .
have a great weekend.
cheers!
g
ps. i can see the the calendar on the wall already!
—–Original Message—–
From: Neil LaBute
To: geraldslota
Sent: Sat, 26 Jan 2008 2:02 pm
Subject: Re: slota-photo-bill hunt-nyc
i’ll try and send along a few more ideas as they strike me. looking forward to seeing where it takes us!
“my sister stares at me when we spend time at the lake. she says
she likes the way my swimsuit turns a darker red when it gets wet.”
nl
On Jan 28, 2008, at 7:37 AM, geraldslota wrote:
hello neil
great! really like this one also!
i’ll keep you posted. bill hunt is very excited about the project.
thanks again!
g
From: Neil LaBute
To: geraldslota
Sent: Mon, Jan 28, 2008 11:14 am
Subject: another thought for you
g:
terrific! let’s keep at it and see where it takes us.
nl
here’s another one for you:
“my grandfather used to take photos of me when i was younger.
so many polaroids in my little underwear.”
From: Neil LaBute
To: geraldslota
Sent: Sun, Feb 10, 2008 3:55 pm
Subject: Re: slota
g:
whenever you can send them sounds great–
i look forward to seeing what you’ve been up to.
nl
“my mother walked in on my once when i was playing
with myself. on her deathbed she told me it was the only
time she remembers enjoying anything to do with sex.”
On Feb 10, 2008, at 12:31 PM, geraldslota wrote:
hello neil
i have something done for the bedroom scene and for being locked in the neighbors basement. i’m having trouble sending them from here because they’re large files – i’ll try sending them later, and if not, i’ll be back in civilization tuesday and send them then.
can’t wait for you to see them.
cheers
g
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 23:21:36
To:Neil LaBute
Subject: slota
hello neil
THANKS…..something like this!
cheers g
—–Original Message—–
From: Neil LaBute
To: geraldslota
Sent: Tue, Feb 12, 2008 11:25 pm
Subject: Re: slota
Lovely! That’s the spirit…
On Feb 13, 2008, at 7:05 AM, geraldslota wrote:
hello n
excited to start working on more ‘thoughts’
a question; since i’ll be in the woods for 2 weeks more, can i send you some snapshots of locations …maybe you can write one from that?
thanks again
g
On Jul 29, 2010, at 9:13 AM, geraldslota wrote:
hi n:
i found this old “thought” and i think it ‘s strangely haunting and darkly funny ! i’ve been working on it for the last couple of days [2 versions]. i went with an abstract door and old women idea but i think maybe “grandmother” might work better with the image? what do you think?
hope you like!
g
“my mother walked in on my once when i was playing with myself. on her deathbed she told me it was the only time she remembers enjoying anything to do with sex.”
—-Original Message—–
From: Neil LaBute
To: geraldslota
Sent: Thu, Jul 29, 2010 1:37 pm
Subject: Re: slota
“my grandmother walked in on me once when i was masturbating. on her deathbed she told me it was the only time she remembers enjoying sex.”
i think it needed to be a little harsher since it’s the ‘grandmother.’ maybe ‘masturbating’ instead of ‘playing with myself.’
something like that!
nl
On Jul 29, 2010, at 8:40 PM, geraldslota wrote:
n:
like the harsher idea alot but the other seems more child-like [“playing”] and being told on the deathbed gives it a space of time between when the incident happen but either one is good with me….really think it’s a great “thought”!
will be shooting and working on more so hope to get images to you very soon.
g
—–Original Message—–
From: Neil LaBute
To: geraldslota
Sent: Fri, Jul 30, 2010 5:54 am
Subject: Re: slota
yeah, maybe so. the juxtaposition of ‘playing with myself’ is nice with ‘grandma.’ makes it have more of a 1950s ‘everything’s okay here” feel to it.
i’m fine with either–maybe type them up and put them with the image and decide. either “masturbating” or “playing with myself.” everything else can stay the same.
nl
—–Original Message—–
From: Neil LaBute
To: geraldslota
Sent: Wed, Feb 13, 2008 10:16 am
Subject: Re: Slota
absolutely–i’m going off for a few weeks and trying to be computer-free so i may be doing it by blackberry. that said, we can work it out (i saw your first images that way) and i can write bits on there as well.
let’s give it a try.
nl
“my father plastered over a door in the attic that used to lead to
a tiny storage room. a local boy went missing that same summer
but i’m sure it was a coincidence.”
On Aug 3, 2010, at 9:01 AM, geraldslota wrote:
n:
i really like this thought you sent along. where do they come from?!
“my father plastered over a door in the attic that used to lead to
a tiny storage room. a local boy went missing that same summer
but i’m sure it was a coincidence.”
g
—–Original Message—–
From: Neil LaBute
To: geraldslota
Sent: Tue, Aug 3, 2010 12:31 pm
Subject: Re: slota attic
g:
yeah, i like that one. let’s try this instead:
“my father plastered over an old door in the attic the same summer
that a local boy went missing. i’m sure it was a coincidence.”
(do we have more boys or girls in peril in this series? whichever gender we do more harm to, make this one the opposite!)
nl
On Aug 3, 2010, at 9:30 AM, geraldslota wrote:
like that better..we have more girls so it works well.
another done!
g
—–Original Message—–
From: Neil LaBute
To: geraldslota
Sent: Tue, Aug 3, 2010 12:40 pm
Subject: Re: slota attic
g:
great. still seems wordy but i’m going to sit with it a bit. let’s make it “i’m sure it was just a coincidence” and add ‘just’ to the last sentence.
nl