 |
| Szymon Choynowski (Simon Chase) in 1986 |
I just got word that Szymon Choynowski, aka "Simon Chase" died in November (2011) in Mexico City where he'd resided for that past fifteen years or so. Szymon was a deeply private person and rarely shared personal information with anyone. I feel privileged that I had become his friend and that he had re-established contact with me in the last year of his life. He was born in Poland and moved with his parents to America in 1967. I recall him talking about the Expo in Montreal, one of the first North American experiences he had. I'm not sure how much time he spent in Canada in 1967, perhaps only days, perhaps longer, but it had a lasting impact on him. Eventually his parents took up residence in Mexico City and Szymon studied filmmaking in California. Shortly after the completion of his MFA at southern California, I think it was at Cal Arts (thanks for correction Amnon
), he saw an advertisement for a job teaching in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. He applied and was given a phone interview by Terry Marner who then hired him. Szymon put all of his worldly possessions into his car (a Volvo I believe) and drove from California to Regina to become a professor in the Film and Video Department at the University of Regina. That was probably 1982 or 1983. He bought a house near the south end of the city, a flat roofed bungalow off the main bus routes since he didn't want to see people too often. He was very popular with the students, bringing in strange cult films he'd studied in California, using comic books as references, and listening and caring about people's ideas. I took a class from him in the summer of 1984. He hosted a Christmas party within the UofR film department that Christmas, wiring speakers and coloured lights between a number of the classrooms and work rooms, There will likely never be another party like it inside of the University. One student was fire breathing, the bar flowed freely, and the students bonded like never before. Somehow over that next year, we became friends. The politics at the university were hard on Szymon. He felt that the film department head was using him in bizarre political fights with the other fine arts departments. He was in the middle of things but given no respect. Szymon told me that he liked to be anonymous to be able to go to public places and just blend in and be invisible. However, after a couple of years of teaching, he began to encounter people who knew him almost everywhere he went. He began to withdraw from social gatherings. He covered his house windows with aluminum foil, partially to subdue the light, but primarily to disguise his presence from people outside. He rarely answered his phone. The only reason I knew we were friends was that, on occasion he answered when I began talking on his machine. He even called me. We used to go to diners for breakfast or cafes for deserts. I drove because he had sold his car. In 1986, when the university finally offered him tenure, to promptly resigned. I helped him with his garage sale as he tried to rid himself of material and become portable again. His massive record collection which contains such treasures as an obsessively complete set of every T-Rex recording, was sold to collectors. His porn was cataloged by year and sold in bundles at the garage sale. Richard Kerr, Szymon's replacement at the university, arrived in Regina during the garage sale and came to it (my first meeting with Richard). One of the only times he allowed me to bring a camera into his house was when the courier was scheduled to take his stuff (see above, my only clear photo of Szymon). A few days later, Szymon got on a plane and flew to Montreal. The next few years I only knew of his activities through people like John McCullough with whom he'd been in a band while in Regina (they once played at the UofR student bar, The Owl, and were kicked off the stage during a ten minute performance of one chord). Through John, or perhaps someone else, I was told that Szymon looked at Regina receding into the distance through the plane window and fell into uncontrollable laughter. However, Montreal French didn't come easily to Szymon and he moved within about a year to Vancouver where he lived for a few years. He worked at a company that sold professional electronics of some nature, going by the easier to spell name "Simon Chase". Sometime in the 1990s, his parents became sick and he returned to Mexico City to care for them. After they passed away, he stayed there, always a foreigner never mixing in. Most information about him ended until he emailed me in February 2011. His letter begins
"Dear Gerald, I have wanted to write to you for well over 20 years. Why didn't I? Well, I suppose for the same reason that I haven't done much of anything.I really don't want to tell you about my life, because it is best left not mentioned."
 |
| Szymon in 1973 courtesy Elin Emilsson |
Szymon suffered from what he called a "Borderline Personality Disorder" and his last message to me on November 3, 2011, although in many ways far more positive than the February message, hinted again at suicide. He never wrote to me again. His friend, Mark Bloom, informed today that Szymon died in November. I did not ask how, I don't want to know. He wouldn't have wanted me to know.
In April, 2014, the following photos of Szymon and his mother were sent to me by his friend Paulina Carlisle of Michigan:
 |
| Szymon Choynowski, early grade school |
 |
| Szymon's mother |
 |
| Szymon Choynowski, "a few years back" (2005-2010?) |
 |
| "Here's one from a few years back of Simon, his mum and Lupe, their
housekeeper. I love his glasses... I have a vintage pair of Nicole Miller
sunglasses with frames the colour of orange sherbet ... one sunny day I was out
and about driving and had those on .... and T-Rex (Get It On / Bang a Gong) came
on the radio ... I was suddenly washed over by a good, carefree and almost
other-worldly feeling and a thought: "this moment IS Simon" ... he was quite
into mod fashion and of course T-Rex ..and for some reason that perfect moment
on that perfect day FELT like Simon in a way. Either you understand OR maybe
think I'm nuts!! I have a feeling it's the former." Paulina Carlisle, April 4, 2014 |
 |
| Szymon as child, always loving animals |
 |
| Szymon as teenager? and potential rock star |
 |
| Szymon Choynowski in his 40s? |
 |
| Szymon's parents, Mieczyslaw and Hanna Choynowski |
 |
| Szymon's mother in newspaper for art exhibition |
 |
| Szymon, sometime after 2000 |
Rob and I spent a couple of hours in the darkroom doing some processing tests. I really needed a whole day, but we did come up with some initial information to work from. Colour photographic paper will develop in C41 colour film negative developer. Black and white developer will also allow you to develop this paper but with less accuracy. In only one test could we see any sort of image and it was grey on grey, no blacks and no whites (see below). This was from using D-76 black and white film developer. When we tried to use Dektol black and white paper developer, the paper turned black too quickly. Perhaps it would work if we diluted it or developed for shorter times, but as we had to do everything in complete darkness, these tests grew quickly tiresome.
Margaret spent the day at her work conference and won the 50/50 fundraiser draw (over $400). This evening she went to the big MacKenzie Art Gallery gala/action (as Sylvia's guest) dressed in layers of nerd clothing (the theme was "Big Bang Theory"). We got her a Fantastic Four shirt over which she wore the 7-11 jacket I stole from them when I worked there in 1986 (I believe the statute of limitations on petty theft must have run out by now).
After rebuilding my office for a couple of hours, I met with Amber, one of Rachelle's grad students to talk about hand processing colour film. She was saying that when she was living in the states last year, they could order photo chemistry from a place in Kansas but now she's discovered that they won't ship over the border. 
