Turmoil

Gargoyle (1991) by Dianne Bos. Dianne Bos Photography. 

Dianne Bos, or D.B.* in initial form, tells the story of how she shot Gargoyle in one of her infamous video segments. It was the year 1991. She was atop the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris when she realized that it was imperative that she capture a particularly sinister gargoyle with her pinhole camera.

Akin to a Disney fairy tale, there were fierce obstacles to overcome. First, security guards were vigilantly patrolling the area because of recent bomb threats. It was thus unfortunate that D.B.'s pinhole camera suspiciously resembled a low-budget bomb. Second, there was a mesh enclosure between D.B. and the gargoyle, which, while protecting people and objects from potential fatal mishaps, also obstructed the view of the gargoyle through the pinhole camera. Third, the violent winds threatened to blow D.B.'s pinhole camera into oblivion. 

Like a spelling bee contestant who is given an impossible word but then spells it correctly despite the palpable uncertainty, pressure, and stress, D.B. was able to transcend the difficult circumstances to get the shot. And what a sinister shot it turned out to be. 

Click here and then click on the third video segment to hear a far less exaggerated interpretation of how Gargoyle was produced.

*People's names are often written or verbalized in initial form when they are your friends and/or celebrities. D.B. isn't either, but I am working on it.