| These images were printed in a self-published zine entitled Anywhere But Here. For most of its publicity, this is the description: “This zine and the photographs therein are the product of the necessary leave of absence I took from Brooklyn, NY during the summer of 2008. Sometimes you just gotta get away.” This statement is undeniably true. But these photographs mean so much more than just trying to get away. They are to fill some void, some intangible feeling or emotion. To shed some perspective on life and living, maybe a reason, an example or two. Maybe something to laugh at, laugh with, or maybe after all just another reason to get away. When I was a little kid, my best friend Brian had an old tree in his front yard. It was the oldest tree on the block, tall and beautiful. When we were 11, our parents went out of town so we burned it down. If you ever see a 20-foot-tall tree ablaze with 30-foot-high flames you’ll understand why. Things need a constant change. More often than not, the most beautiful is watching it all burn. |  |
Alex McTigue
These images were printed in a self-published zine entitled Anywhere But Here. For most of its publicity, this is the description: “This zine and the photographs therein are the product of the necessary leave of absence I took from Brooklyn, NY during the summer of 2008. Sometimes you just gotta get away.” This statement is undeniably true. But these photographs mean so much more than just trying to get away. They are to fill some void, some intangible feeling or emotion. To shed some perspective on life and living, maybe a reason, an example or two. Maybe something to laugh at, laugh with, or maybe after all just another reason to get away. When I was a little kid, my best friend Brian had an old tree in his front yard. It was the oldest tree on the block, tall and beautiful. When we were 11, our parents went out of town so we burned it down. If you ever see a 20-foot-tall tree ablaze with 30-foot-high flames you’ll understand why. Things need a constant change. More often than not, the most beautiful is watching it all burn.
Anywhere But Here is a collection of photographs, made on a small scale and inherently accessible to a majority of people. Self-publishing, not only in print form but musically and electronically, is an important idea which will help our communities grow together toward a more free future. Doing it yourself can help regain control over both your own creativity and awareness, creating an end product of one’s own. People learn how to express themselves in ways they never would have expected, with a confidence to do it. We have entered a time when information is accessible to anybody who searches for it, and the ability to distribute that information is just as easy. It is amazing what you can do with your own hands if the right tools are presented. Today, there is no reason why these tools should not be utilized. Some of the most amazing things happening today are happening because people decided to take things into their own hands. Hopefully things will continue to spiral out of control, and the greatest tangible, and intangible outcomes will surface. The best part about tomorrow is you never know what will happen, and you can always change it, or at least ruin it for somebody else!
