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- © Mike King
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- © Mike King
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- © Mike King
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- © Mike King
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- © Mike King
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- © Mike King
Michael King
Fish Market
For Italians, food is the opera of life. It is important to use the best local ingredients. It’s important to think about it, talk about it, dream about it, dwell on minuscule details of the preparation and to finally sit down with family and friends to partake in the communal meal. In Italy the preparation and enjoyment of good food is the metronome for life.
In these photographs of the Catania Fish Market (La Pescheria) in Sicily I portray the opening beat. For me the first photo depicts the first operatic scene where all the players are preparing to break out in song. From there the drama unfolds. In this early morning ritual, fishmongers hustle to attract potential buyers (mostly men) with calls and hand gestures. Tables are laden with every creature of the sea meticulously arranged to convey its ultimate freshness. The buyers partake in an animated ritual of talking, joking, smelling and hand movements all aimed at securing the finest and freshest item at the lowest price.
Artist Bio
Michael King is a retired physicist who worked in diverse fields of optical imaging. He has achievements and inventions in 3-dimensional holographic imaging, electron device photolithography and refractive eye surgery (PRK). A lifelong interest in photographic expression has led him to explore astrophotography along with underwater, travel and nature photography. In the early days of digital photography, he taught children attending summer camp to use digital cameras to develop an appreciation for nature.
He has exhibited at the Griffin Museum, two juried shows at Concord Art, and has studied at the Griffin Museum, NESOP and the deCordova Museum all located in Massachusetts. One of King’s bird photos was included in the book “Who’s Who in the Natural World” by Kay Fairweather. He also had an early hologram accepted into the Museum of Holography in Manhattan. In recent years King has used photography to explore the human condition and man’s place in the natural world.
https://michaelcking.myportfolio.com/projects
Contact Michael King