Sarah Charlesworth: Stills

Unidentified Woman, Hotel Corona de Aragon, Madrid, 1980 Jerry Hollins, Chicago Federal Courthouse, 1980 Unidentified Man, Ankara, Turkey, 1980 Unidentified Man, Ontani Hotel, Los Angeles, 1980 © Sarah Charlesworth Here’s another intriguing project: Sarah Charlesworth’s series Stills.

Stills are black and white enlargements made from newspaper photos of people in mid-air. The images show people jumping from burning buildings in an attempt to save their lives, as well as individuals who are trying to commit suicide. Neither the intention nor the outcome of the jump is apparent.

The series reminded me of Carolee Schneemann’s more recent controversial project, Terminal Velocity. This project consists of a grid of photographs of people falling to their deaths from the World Trade Center on September 11th. Terminal Velocity, 2001 © Carolee Schneemann Utterly disturbing, but somehow very beautiful. See the rest of Sarah’s work on her website - there’s a lot to look at. (via This is That)