Vincent Moon of La Blogotheque has filmed a number of bands playing acoustic/acapella versions their songs, often just on the street or in a found space. The candid, intimate approach to these recordings has appealed to me for some time now so I thought I’d share them here.
A few to start with (and there are plenty of others): Sigur Rós, Mùm, Bon Iver, Yo La Tengo, Tallest Man on Earth, Bowerbirds and Fleet Foxes (above).
The very kind Paul Schiek of TBW Books recently sent me a copy of Noon by Marienne Mueller, the third of the current “Subscription Series” of four artist books. Also in my hand are the previous ones: Todd Hido’s Ohio and Abner Nolan’s Away. The final book in this series will be Sheep by Alec Soth.
Subscription Series 2
(Todd Hido, Abner Nolan, Marianne Mueller and Alec Soth)
48 pages each, 6 x 8 in.
Edition of 650 unsigned, 50 signed
$100 (for all four)
This is a great project and at $25 a book, also a great deal.
To find out more or to order a subscription for yourself, visit TBW’s website.
Blackbook Publications is an artist book distribution network as well as an independent publisher. So far they’ve put out two titles, both of which I was delighted to receive in the mail:
APAN ÄR RÄDD by Simon Berg
44 pages, 43 pictures, color offset
Edition of 400
€16.99
Sprinten by Kalle Sanner
20 pages, 9 pictures, B&W offset
Edition of 300
€5.95
The books are elegantly simple in design/printing.
For more info or to order, visit their website.
Two framed photographs of mine along with hundreds of works (by students, other alumni and affiliated artists such as Doug and Mike Starn, Nan Goldin, Robert Rauschenberg and Ellsworth Kelly) are on display and available to purchase at the Museum School’s annual InsideOut Sale. A percentage of every sale supports student scholarships. And there’s plenty to see, even if you’re not buying.
Those of you in Boston should stop in to check it out before November 22nd.
More info here.
Here’s a recent video piece by James Welling, titled Lake Pavilion. For those of you unfamiliar, you may want to see his photographic work here or here for some context.
I should also mention (just announced!) that, in addition to the other works/writings, a conversation between James Welling and Lyle Rexer (author of the fantastic new book The Edge of Vision: The Rise of Abstraction in Photography) will be featured in Lay Flat 02: Meta. Very exciting.
Farewell Books has two new releases that Mårten Lange was kind enough to send my way…
Sensation by Noriko Takazawa
24 pages, saddle stiched
16 images, black and white, offset
Edition of 500
€6
Even Your Ears by Hyunjin Kim
24 pages, saddle stiched
21 images, black and white, offset
Edition of 500
€6
Both are available for purchase here.
Got a nice little artist book in the mail from David Schoerner (founder of the wonderful independent publishing house Hassla Books)…
10 pages, black and white laser jet, edition of 18.
Thanks David!
Published on the occasion of her Spring 2008 exhibition at Hauser & Wirth Colnaghi, Roni Horn‘s catalog Bird highlights a selection of close-up studio portraits of taxidermied Icelandic birds, a typology that Horn worked on for more than ten years. The usually wild animals are each seen here set in front of white backdrops, lit evenly and shown from behind, a revealing point of view that somehow transforms the birds into strangely beautiful, non-figurative surfaces.
The 20 photographs in the book – elegantly edited and printed in collaboration with Steidl – are laid out in pairs, a decision on the part of Horn that seems to ask the viewer to carefully consider each species in relation to the others. Though abstracted in form, the detail provided begs the reader to study the intricacies of each of the wildfowl’s feathers. Turning through the pages of the book again and again, the collection of birds almost becomes a singular representation, one that calls to mind the haunting yet tranquil landscape of Iceland, the home of these birds. Whether the artist’s intention or not, I find this quality of the book to be the strong point.
spread from Bird, 2008
© Roni Horn / Steidl / Hauser & Wirth
spread from Bird, 2008
© Roni Horn / Steidl / Hauser & Wirth
spread from Bird, 2008
© Roni Horn / Steidl / Hauser & Wirth
spread from Bird, 2008
© Roni Horn / Steidl / Hauser & Wirth
Writer and curator Philip Larratt-Smith compiled a collection of bird-related words and phrases (along with references from various films, poems, photographic history and Horn herself) to conclude the book – a piece playfully titled “Hornithology.” Though enjoyable, in my opinion its inclusion makes it more difficult to discover the depth of the images and experience the aspect of the book that I found to be most moving.
Despite my own wish for the book to exist as a poetic gesture solely of images, Bird is exceptionally realized as is, shelved by many as yet another brilliant photographic project by artist Roni Horn.
–
Originally published in Photo-eye Magazine, November 9, 2009.
Bird can be purchased here.
Mike Mandel, 1975 [from "The Baseball-Photographer Trading Cards"]
© Mike Mandel
Last year I published an interview with Mike Mandel in Lay Flat 01: Remain in Light. Since the time that the book sold out, I’ve received a number of e-mails asking if this interview could be made available online. Well, I thought about it and figured, why not? – so I got back in touch with Mike and with his permission put together a version which also includes some images from his various projects. Enjoy!
Happy 40th birthday to Sesame Street!
To celebrate, I give you one of my favorite moments (next to maybe this, of course): Geometry of Circles, a clip from a 1979 episode that includes music composed by Philip Glass!
If only shows for kids were still this great…
