Photography Book Review with Librarian, Max Yela 8 March
Special Collections at the Golda Maier Library
By: Ashley Doelger
I enjoyed the special collections of artist’s books at the library way more then I expected. I didn’t realize the extent of unique books offered by such a wide variety of artists. I appreciated each and every book for different reasons but there were ones that stood out to me more than others. Nikki S Lee’s book was an elaborate performance of her acting out different roles and it really stood out to me. She would identify with a particular group in society by drastically altering her hair, weight, clothes, etc. For each project she would identify with a different group over weeks to months by taking on mannerisms, gestures, and characteristics. When I was flipping through the book, I finally figured out what was going on when I noticed she was in every image. I laughed seeing her look so different in each project. I think that is such a strong idea to go about capturing idea of identity. A friend of hers that went along with her took most of the pictures but I thought it was clever that she sometimes asked strangers to take the pictures with her point and shoot camera. I was surprised how convincing she and the pictures were. What a fun and spontaneous project to take on that also has a staged element to it. The images tell stories that she wouldn’t have been able to tell without her involvement in them all. The amount of time and dedication it took for her to get these images is inspiring and reminded me of something I want to do with an identity series. If she can do it, so can I!
Hayley Ishihara- This special collections visit definitely opened my eyes to all the different ways that photography can be displayed. We've spent our whole art career going to galleries and seeing these beautiful exhibitions, both on the walls as well as installation work, but this is different. Seeing how the work interacts with each other on adjacent pages and as art objects adds a whole other element. One of the books that stood out to me was Larry Clark's book Teenage Lust. This book has a lot of crazy things going on and it paints a very young and eventful narrative in your head. However, the eye catching portraiture displayed in this black and white book are just beautiful.
Another book that really intrigued me was a glass book, unfortunately I don't remember the title of the book or the artist. However, this book was truly amazing. It was made of glass sheets, and each sheet had a sliver of an image printed on the edge. So as you moved the glass pieces closer or father apart, the image either appears or disappears which I think is one of the coolest "books" I've ever seen. Before this book, I had never given book making a second thought. After seeing how far the word 'book' can really be stretched has got me thinking. It is simply amazing.
Rebeka Schmieder- I am a fan of books with little to no text because I believe that photos should mostly live on their own. Perhaps a title or a small sentence is all what is needed. Also when looking at photo books, I want to focus on the photographs not the text. Only in certain circumstances text can provide more meaning to it. I also enjoy making my own meaning/story to a photograph. I do this in my own work as well I don't want to hand feed the viewers. I want to see what the viewer can come up with on their own.
The one book that I could look at for days is Dictionary of Water by Roni Horn. This book is calming and serine. The different types of water on each page makes yourself be immersed in water. It is almost as if you can hear the water and feel the smooth texture of water. With the amount of images in this book has, it is almost impossible t not stop turning the pages and enjoying each photograph.
Mandy Litwin
I enjoyed being able to look at all of the artist books in
special collections. It was great to see books from artists like Jess Dugan and
Diane Arbus up close and personal. One book that I really liked looking through
was Hide by Jason Vaughn. The book
was full of many beautiful and quiet images and hunting stands. It was partially
inspired by a conversation Jason had with a hunter who had a son whom he wanted
to pass the hunting stand on to. After Jason, who has a son himself, had gotten
sick with leukemia, he looked to this project as a way to symbolize the idea of
a legacy for himself and his family. Aside from just being great images to look
at, the images feel as a form of therapy for Jason. This books purpose seems
much simpler than some. It is a way to portray many images from Jason sort of
as a story. Though all of the images are of hunting stands, you can look at the
changing seasons and scenery from one image to another as a symbol of change
for Jason.
from Hunt, Jason Vaughn
Robi:
I found many of the photo books in UWM's permanent collection fascinating. Larry Craig's Teenage Lust was a particular eye-opener, with its simple but nuanced style of images. Extremely candid, the photos feel 'real' in every sense of the word - unposed and full of life in all its aspects. I wonder if Nan Golden is Craig's spirit child, to be honest.
Spec
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