Gigi Stoll (2x2 founder): “Yesterday is but today's memory, and tomorrow is today's dream.” Khalil Gibran
Where we work! Franklin Street, NYC 10/7/20 by Gigi Stoll
Flo Fox (2x2 client #1): Today’s the day I visit with Flo Fox! Couldn’t be happier. Show and tell is always our first matter of business. Flo has a few prints she wants to show me for auction. Then we’ll work on photography research and contacts to get her work seen by the masses. A good afternoon for 2x2media.. :) Gigi Stoll
West Murray (2x2 client #2):
Photographer, collector, artist extraordinaire, mother, grandmother, amazing friend, a woman who is as passionate in nature as she is at home in Tribeca.
"Art has been my life & life has been about art. Nothing else exists when I take pictures." http://westmurray.com/
2x2 Work: Website Revamp, Social Media Connect, New Galleries, Contact and Bio Page, Portrait Shoot, etc.
Portrait taken at The Loft Museum by Gigi Stoll 8/4/20
West Murray (2x2 client #2): "Every item has a story at The Loft Museum, precious, collected and cherished. A few of West’s favorite things, crowned by a lovely rabbit.” Gigi Stoll
Check out West’s brilliant work: http://westmurray.com/
West Murray Table Detail by Gigi Stoll 10/7/20
West Murray (2x2 client #2): “Our work on Two by Two this week involved creating a link for West’s new book, Destiny, designed by@thepassengercollection, and uploading it onto her website and creating an online storefront. This is not work, it’s alway pure joy to be with West while we sample delicious drinks, food, and captivating conversation.” Gigi Stoll
Check out West’s brilliant work: http://westmurray.com/
Portrait of West by Gigi Stoll at The Loft Museum, NYC 10/7/20
Flo Fox (2x2 client #1): Vintage Flo Fox:
“What kind of camera do you use?
You couldn't use my words because I would say a piece of shit. It's a $40 camera that I bought off eBay. A Nikon 35mm point and shoot autofocus camera.
What is it you prefer about film?
Everything. I have file cabinets. 3,000 small contact sheets. They're all in date order in file cabinets. The bottom cabinet is the '70s, then the '80s, '90s, then the 2000s, and each sheet of paper has 36 exposures. I pick out my favorite few shots and have them made into a snapshot for myself. Then when I want to have it made larger, that's when it costs me to make a big print.
Do you ever shoot with digital?
On the days when there's a gay parade or a Halloween parade, my attendants and I use digital to take thousands of photos and choose favorites.
Who are your biggest inspirations?
My close friend Lisette Model. She was a very famous photographer who died in her 70s in 1983—although I never went to one of her classes, because I don't like education. People ask me what books I've read; I haven't. Nobody's influenced me because I've never read. People also tell me they don't need to edit my words. But two other big influences are Weegee the Famous and Andre Kertesz.
What do you want your legacy to be?
That I was a tough chick. A tough cookie. And I changed laws to help people. No one's ever asked me that. Interesting.”
@curbedby Hannah Frishberg on March 6, 2015
Flo Fox (2x2 client #1): Vintage Flo Fox:
“What motivates you to take a photo?
Wow, I wish I knew. Something that catches my attention graphically, or that says something.
Do you find today's New York less photogenic than it was in the 70s and 80s?
No. It's always a place to be. I am a tourist every day in my own town. I don't miss the '70s and '80s, but the '50s and '60s. The doo wop. The rhythm and blues.
Do you prefer photographing certain neighborhoods to others?
When I lived in the Village, it was the Village. Now that I live in Chelsea, I live in Chelsea. It is wherever I am, and wherever I visit.
What do you feel your portfolio says about the city?
It's the city that never sleeps.
Do you find your lack of vision enhances your photography in any way?
I can't say that it enhances it. In many way, it interferes, and makes me not really know what's going on sometimes. But soon as you lose your sight all your other senses become so much stronger. I can go in a restaurant and hear each conversation around me, which is only confusing, really.
What's the best picture you haven't taken?
I always have my cameras, whether I'm on the street or in bed with someone. I've had it every moment of every day since 1972. For 43 years. I used to count the numbers every time I missed the shot. After I got to 150, I stopped counting. When there are big groups of tourists, I wish I could rent a helicopter and shoot downwards. My favorite shot I did take is the triangular shaped Flatiron Building looking from the roof down. And when they were building the World Trade Center, I hung off the roof to get a piece of history.”
@curbedby Hannah Frishberg on March 6, 2015
Flo Fox (2x2 client #1): “Flo Fox has always supported my work, even if it involved traveling by bus across town to attend my show.
We visited last week for the first time since February and it seemed like yesterday, not seven months. It also happened to be the eve of her 75th birthday. 😘💫 Flo is my hero and the inspiration for 2x2media. Flo is extremely touched and impressed, she hopes that our 2x2 story and work is published in a magazine, book or show soon. 🥰
Meanwhile, our passionate weekly ‘Photo Talk’ visits are back on and for that I am grateful.” Gigi Stoll
Portrait taken at “We Tell Ourselves Stories In Order To Live” Show with@gigistoll_photographyand@stephanietamezat@debuckgalleryNYC 2014.
West Murray (2x2 client #2): “Never worry about being obsessive. I like obsessive people. Obsessive people make great art.” Susan Sontag
Hand & gear table courtesy of West Murray.@theloftmuseumNYC 9/11/20 by@gigistoll_photographyfor@twobytwomedia🙏🏻🌹💫
West’s new website: http://westmurray.com/
Flo Fox (2x2 client #1):
The inspiration for 2x2media is Florence Blossom Fox! “Over 80000 photographs from 1972 till present: ironic images, NYC street scenes, Portraits, Phallic, sexual and erotic images, nudes, Halloween parades, Cemetery monuments, Elderly, blind and disabled people, Keith Haring and Basquiat Graffiti. Sassy, smart, edgy, bohemian, irreverent. This is Flo Fox, a real New York fighter. Street photographer since 1972, who has shot over 120,000 images on vary subjects. An advocate for the disabled too. Since the very beginning her photography has tended toward the “ironic side”. Born blind in one eye, (according to her wit, a shortcut for a photographer, considering that she never needed to close an eye to take a picture). She lost the vision in her other eye in 1975 and was declared legally blind at just the time when she had photographed herself nude for PlayboyMagazine. Not long after, Flo Fox discovered that the numbness she felt in one of her hands and legs was caused by Multiple Sclerosis. Nonetheless, she was determined not to let that affect her career as a daring photographer. Not an easy decision given that her preference has always been to be outdoors shooting the people and places in New York City. As her MS progressed, Flo’s muscle tone deteriorated but nothing stopped her from continuing to take her camera everywhere she went.”© Isabella Cecconi on October 31, 2012.
Portrait by Gigi Stoll NYC 2011 B&H Photo.
West Murray (2x2 client #2):
“I have always had an obsession with shoes. My first love was a pair of black patent MaryJanes I got at age 4 that I insisted on sleeping with on my pillow. By photographing legs and shoes, I was honoring that first pair. To me they were something of importance, as shoes and fashion, still are to me. The more I photographed people’s shoes, the more I noticed the architecture of the legs above. Sometimes athletic and powerful and sometimes sticklike which also determines their personalities I noticed. All the different shapes and sizes fascinated me. Legs are the foundation upon which we carry ourselves and helps determine our destiny how and where we are going and the ease upon how we get there.” West Murray@theloftmuseumWest’s ”Legs” Gallery: http://westmurray.com/legs 🦵
📷: Legs Table - The Loft Museum 9/18/20@gigistoll_photography
Flo Fox (2x2 client #1):
“I haven’t been able to see Flo Fox since March because of the pandemic and her low immune risk. Better to be safe and speak on the phone. I miss our weekly visits dearly, but her voice and laughter remain.”@gigistoll_photographyPortrait by Gigi Stoll NYC 2011 B&H Photo. Trying to give Flo a kiss on the cheek. 🌹🥰
West Murray (2x2 client #2): “Last night we worked on cleaning up West’s website. I taught her how to upload, exchange and delete images. We also worked on her About page and I taught her how to change jpg format.
We had a blast catching up and being in each other’s company while the creative energy flowed till late. We also took portraits of each other. I love our time together. This is not work, this is friendship.” 🌹@gigistoll_photography
Check out West’s brilliant work: http://westmurray.com/
📷: Gigi Stoll at The Loft Museum, NYC 8/4/2020
Gigi Stoll (2x2 founder):
“A good snapshot keeps a moment from running away.” Eudora WeltyCameras are everywhere. Film forever. Art fulfills. A growing camera collection. Crown Heights, Brooklyn 2012@gigistoll_photography
West Murray (2x2 client #2):
“We met randomly at a party and have continued relating ever since. After 2 years Gigi has helped me take my work to another level. She has encouraged me to believe in my work and has helped me on essentials of the tech part. She has great patience and understanding of programs and how to help translate them to MY understanding. I can’t thank her enough for her thoughtfulness. She is so kind and extremely fun to be around even in the darkest of times. She knows so much about photography and is willing graciously to share. She is a dream come true for getting your work to where you want it to be. Thanks for all!” - West Murray@theloftmuseumTable Talk: Sharing a “Westina” cocktail at the famous granite table. I love our time together. This is not work, this is friendship. 🌹 Gigi Stoll
Check out West’s brilliant work: http://westmurray.com/
📷: Gigi Stoll at The Loft Museum, NYC 7/23/2020
Flo Fox (2x2 client #1):
30 Women Photographers and the Women Photographers Who Inspired Them.@pwponline(Professional Women Photographers)How did you two meet?
GS: Around 1991, I was walking across 23rd Street and passed a print shop with large black and white blow-ups in the window. I was struck by their starkness and humor. I was told they came from a small book called Asphalt Gardens by Flo Fox. There was a beautiful poem by Flo on the first page and a very alluring portrait of her on the back cover. I bought the book and was told to contact her, that she loved meeting photography-minded people.
How does each of you inspire the other?
GS: Flo really introduced photography to me and taught me how to print. We spent many years printing inside of Flo’s small bathroom in Selis Manor. I learned that photography went in a circle, and for the first time understood light through printing. We had so much fun burning and dodging with handmade tools, that we stayed up all hours of the night.
She also hooked me up for my first show, which led me to selling prints and postcards worldwide. We’ve traveled together and even had our own two-woman show twice, once in NYC and the other in Torino, Italy. 🥰🥰
FF: Gigi called me and complimented my work. Ever since, she’s visited me almost every week. I’m amazed that such a young, vibrant, beautiful model/photographer can be so inspired by me and my work. I, in turn, love her work and have it hanging on my bedroom “museum” wall.”
Gigi Stoll & Flo Fox ©C Kirkpatrick
Portrait by Gigi Stoll NYC 2011 B&H Photo
Gigi Stoll (2x2 founder):
“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.” — Anais Nin.Franklin / Creativity Street - Where the magic happens! Weekly visits put a smile on my face. NYC 2020
#gigistoll_photography
Flo Fox (2x2 client #1):
Florence Blossom Fox (B. 1945) “Other than a really cool name, Flo Fox has what seems to be one of the largest photographic portfolios of anyone who's spent time living in the last century. Having grown up on "the streets of New York", as she likes to put it, she's photographed everything that seems remotely interesting about the city: Its cracked pavements, the graffiti on its walls, the construction of the World Trade Center, and plenty of its mad inhabitants, including their private parts. Which is pretty impressive, especially if you consider that she was born blind in one eye and lost the use of the other after she was diagnosed with MS at the age of 30. She was also part of the uber-hip bohemian crowd that ran Greenwich Village in the 1970s, had her own A&E talk show and built a few disabled ramps on her own, while in a wheelchair. We were worried that we might have missed something out of our gargantuan intro, so we called her up and chatted while she sat in her Chelsea apartment overlooking the Empire State Building.”@vicemagazine 2011Portrait of Flo Fox by Gigi Stoll NYC 1994
West Murray (2x2 client #2): Born 1948 “We met at a party. It was mutual friendship at first sight. Grateful to a mutual friend for the connection on 5/8/2017. 🚀💫✨
Ever since, West and I spend hours talking at her famous granite table discussing our love of photography, family, art and stories of life. She cooks a fine meal and makes a mean “Westina” cocktail. I feel fortunate to share her company weekly. There’s no need for us to call it work. We share. We learn and experiment together. What’s not to adore? 🥰 I mean, look at her work! http://westmurray.com/
Proud and honored to help/teach her how to post her incredible photography and collections online for all to enjoy.” Gigi Stoll#twobytwomedia
📷: Gigi Stoll at The Loft Museum, NYC 8/2020
Flo Fox (2x2 client #1): 30 Women Photographers and the Women Photographers Who Inspired Them. (Professional Women Photographers)
On the surface they seem an unlikely pair: Gigi Stoll is tall, slender and blond; Flo Fox is blue-haired and confined to a wheelchair. Stoll began her working life as a model, Fox as a seamstress. Then you get to know them, and realize they’re a lot alike: funny, adventurous, and dedicated to photography.
The hard knocks started early for Flo Fox. Her father died at thirty-eight, leaving three children and a pregnant wife. Her mother died of breast cancer when she was fourteen. During her late teenage years, Fox stayed with relatives, raised hell, and generally learned how to fend for herself.
She married early and for a time lived in the suburbs. She could have become a housewife, maybe even lived a regular life, but things didn’t work out that way. Instead she became a costume designer for the likes of Joe Papp and the Public Theater. With her first paycheck, bought a camera and has been taking pictures ever since.
Her humorous, gritty images have appeared in LIFE Magazine, and been exhibited in Paris, London, Barcelona and Mexico. A limited edition book, Asphalt Gardens, was published in 1981, and in the early 80s, she had her own slot on A&E, The Foto-Flo Show.
Around that time, Fox was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Already blind in one eye, it reduced sight in the other to blurs and shadows. But if outward sight has failed, her inner compass is strong. She is stylish, chipper and delightful, the center of attention in a large and ever-growing group of friends.
Gigi Stoll & Flo Fox ©C Kirkpatrick
Profile portrait taken in 1991 at Flo’s apt by laying our faces on her enlarger. Flo loves comparing our noses: “look at my big Jewish nose and your perfect, little Christian nose.”
West Murray (2x2 client #2): "Art has been my life & life has been about art."
“I started as a stylist and creative director for various fashion and advertising photographers in NYC. I worked for Wrangler, Lee Jeans, Bloomingdales to name a few. I have always had a love for vintage children’s clothes. I collected them going around the US to old "Mom and Pop” stores. I created and opened a vintage children’s store in Soho NY called KIDZ in 1980 with never used “dead stock” clothing. I went on to create and design a line of high end children’s clothes with Jackie Shapiro called Izzy and later called Jango. The line was sold in Barney’s, Saks, Neiman Marcus and speciality stores like Fred Segals to name a few. I continued working as a stylist with photographers for major ad campaigns such as Kohler, Puma and dressing celebrities such as 50 Cent, Missy Eliot and others.
Then I started taking photos myself in 2000 of a wide variety of subjects. I have spent my life searching for the unusual whether it is beautiful people, odd people on the streets of NYC or fantastic pieces of clothing. My work encompasses the eccentric characters who make up the underbelly of New York.
I’ve lived my life to the fullest and want to inspire others by all that I see and find.”
West Murray http://westmurray.com/
📷: Gigi Stoll at The Loft Museum, NYC 7/2017
Flo Fox (2x2 client #1): Soho Photo Gallery / Speaker Series: Flo Fox – Ironic Reality, August 26, 2020
Though visually impaired and physically challenged from multiple sclerosis Flo Fox never goes anywhere without her camera. She is totally disabled from the neck down and directs friends, attendants or people in the street to take pictures for her.
Her work is in the permanent collections of the Brooklyn Museum and the Smithsonian. Flo’s work has been published extensively and exhibited throughout the United States and internationally.
Portrait of Flo Fox by Gigi Stoll 2009.
Flo Fox (2x2 client #1): (b. 1945) with Gigi Stoll outside Marge Neikrug's Gallery, NYC 1991.
"Her humorous, gritty images have appeared in LIFE Magazine, and been exhibited in Paris, London, and Barcelona. A limited edition book, Asphalt Gardens, was published in 1981, and in the early 80s, she had her own slot on A&E, The Foto-Flo Show.
Around that time, Fox was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Already blind in one eye, it reduced sight in the other to blurs and shadows. But if outward sight has failed, her inner compass is strong. She is stylish, chipper and delightful, the center of attention in a large and ever-growing group of friends." ©C Kirkpatrick
"The most important thing about photography is that just one push of the button can capture history and memories to hold onto forever. " Flo Fox http://flofox.com/
