Sitting on my parents’ couch on a bright Sunday morning, I began surfing channels for something interesting to occupy my time until everyone else was ready for church. My dad and I, settled on a nice documentary about the establishment of the Panama Canal. What the heck, I don’t have much to lose, and at this hour anything would do where entertainment is concerned.
Fifteen minutes into the documentary, my dad pauses to discuss the imperialistic practices of the U.S. and how it differed from the Spain’s control of the Philippines. Everything always leads back to a discussion about the Philippines and how Filipinos don’t catch malaria because they ingeniously use mosquito nets. Halfway through the speech, a series of photographs pop onto the screen. I was so taken by the beautiful photographs, which led to a discussion about collodion prints.
John Frank Stevens, the engineer that worked on the project, reminded me of Alfred Barr, the founding director of The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). John Frank Stevens was brilliant and advanced for his time. Not that I’m a big fan of Alfred Barr but I was secretly hoping that they were friends because in my world, everyone who I know should be friends. I had the same mindset as a child and was always ecstatic when two cartoons bled over into each other. It’s a small world after all, right. After watching the documentary, I realized that I am a hopeless nerd and that my family enables it. Art school, reinforced my odd knowledge and behavior. There is no cure.
