Roger Guetta Reporting From The Opening Day Of The LAMAF
As you all know the LAMAF in Santa Monica is in full swing and Roger Guetta has been there from the start, actually before the start. In this post Roger recounts the events from the opening day, don’t miss it…
Image above of Daria
‘I finished what had to be done, washed up, changed shirts and made my way to the front entrance to get my name tag. That was not to be as the front desk, headed by Daria’s mom was consumed by the registering of what seemed like a line up of hundreds of people.
Very quickly the venue was filled with artists, art lovers and the press. Everyone starting milling about the different rooms as the DJ started spinning tunes. Kimberley and Adria were greeting folks at the garden, a sumptuous buffet was layed out, wine was being served as the entire place hummed with activity.
Everyone seemed genuinely pleased to be there… And why not, the place was wicked cool. Different rooms including Nettie’s installation, the Botanical room, and the Curiosity Shoppe, were all stunning in their form and content.
At one point I went through the venue announcing that a show was about to begin outside at the Enterprise. I then pulled my Earth Cargo to the back of the Enterprise rental truck placed it on the hydrolic mechanism and lifted it to it’s assigned position. People seemed intrigued as the trunk beat it’s primal rhythms to my imagery.
Knox, Maddy, Roger Clay, Catherine R, Sara, Lola, Poco, Bob Weil, Karen D, Alon and a slew of other artists milled about chatting up the adoring masses.
The event started winding down and at about 10:30 PM Nat shut the joint down.
We all said our good bye’s and my goose bumps finally started to subside!’
Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter is a British photography journalist, editor, curator, and the founder of *TheAppWhisperer.com*, one of the world’s leading platforms dedicated to mobile photography and art. Since its launch in 2009, TheAppWhisperer has become an international hub for artists of all levels to discover, learn, exhibit, and engage with contemporary photographic practice.Built on principles of inclusivity, accessibility, and artistic excellence, Joanne has spent almost two decades championing mobile photography as a serious artistic medium. Through interviews, critical essays, exhibitions, competitions, and education, she has helped shape and document the evolution of mobile art on a global scale.Her work has taken her internationally, lecturing on photography and mobile art at institutions and events including the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, alongside appearances in the UK and Europe. She has served as a juror for international photography and mobile art awards across Portugal, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Italy, and the UK.Joanne is also the founder of *TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com*, one of the first online galleries dedicated exclusively to collectible mobile art, connecting artists with collectors across Europe, the United States, and Asia.Before founding TheAppWhisperer, Joanne worked extensively in print journalism and photographic publishing, including roles at a paparazzi photo agency and as deputy editor of a leading photography magazine. Her freelance journalism, criticism, and commentary have been published widely in both the UK and the US, with bylines in *The Times*, *The Sunday Times*, *The Guardian*, *Popular Photography*, *NikonPro*, *DPReview*, *Which?*, *Vogue Italia*, *LensCulture*, the *BBC*, and more recently, the *Financial Times*, where her published letters on photography continue to contribute to wider conversations around the medium.Alongside her editorial and curatorial work, Joanne’s own photographic practice has been exhibited internationally across the UK, Europe, South Korea, and the United States. Her work increasingly explores themes of grief, loss, death, memory, and the body.Her current research interests centre on grief, death, and poverty, with forthcoming postgraduate study leading towards doctoral research in these areas.Joanne is currently developing new long-form writing and photographic projects and is available for commissions, editorial projects, speaking engagements, and collaborations.Contact: joannetheappwhisperer@gmail.com)
