And now for something completely different.
If you’re looking for a change-up from the usual Friday night gallery scene, you might want to check out Memphis photographer John Garland Upton’s show Friday night (August 7th, 6-9 p.m.) at 902 South Cooper. It’s called “Walter Walters: The Un-legacy of a Film Failure.”
Over the past few months, Upton has been shooting friends and acquaintances in a series of photos that purportedly portray the art, the life, and the eventual death of fictional film director, Walter Walters. The conceit is that Walters descended into madness before his death and destroyed all the prints of his three films. Upton’s photos represent stills from Walters’ movies and shots from his personal life.
You may or may not recognize some of your friends and fellow Memphians in the photos. In his introduction to the exhibit, Garland thanks (to mention a few) Mary Long, Larry Kuzniewski, Trey Browder, Nicole Wilbourn, Lindsey Lewis, Tatine Darker, Mike McCarthy, Melissa Anderson, Erik Waldkirch, Keri Gerosa, Jeffery Scott Meskenas, Phillis M. Lewis, Caesar Randolph, and Brandon Wallace.
From the show’s promo materials: “This show has everything: Gorgeous women! Danger at every turn! Deep, dark secrets! Inspired by low-budget and exploitation films of the 1960s, this show explores the rise and fall of a man no one remembers, but one you can’t forget.”
Sounds good.
