PHOTOGRAPHY ZINES AND BOOKS NO: 70
PHOTOGRAPHY ZINES AND BOOKS NO: 70
VAS by Brandon Alexander
Who?
Brandon Alexander is a photographer and film editor. Really with no social media to speak of and upon receiving these zines, it was interesting to see that his work matches that level of mysteriousness…
What?
" During the state-mandated lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brandon Alexander travelled the United States, capturing images of "an empty America we’ve never seen before.” What followed was a collection of deep landscapes of vacancy and isolation. Span.Studio designed a limited artist's edition of 250 zines, each featuring a different cover and pagination within, to serve as both archive and expression of a wandering journey through one of our country’s darkest times."
Why?
I remember there was a joke going around during the pandemic that there were going to be a bunch of photographers who were going to go around shooting the emptiness of cities with a profound title more or less taking the same pictures. On its premise, this would have seemed to be one of those, but then the sheer originality of the photos make it.
With so much darkness and space carrying a much more nuanced atmosphere, this represents I feel more of the psychological isolation of the time than anything literal that the joke was commenting upon. Brandon's own words at the book's end serve to reflect this:
_" I thought I'd photograph the road during state mandated lockdowns and catch an empty America we've never seen before. I'd represent the times - a contested election, a pandemic, the west devouring itself out of guilt. _
None of those images worked. I went from interstates and major cities to historic highways to backroads to my back yard. But how could I photograph flowers at a time like this?
I can 't say what's accomplished here (and one shouldn't put pen to paper in order to think). I find myself at the conclusion of this work as both subject and object, an offering of sorts."
Details.
Designed by Span Studio, custom software was written in Processing to generate the artwork for the covers, each a wandering path through random points along the way. The covers were then produced on uncoated black paper via digital printing in multiple hits of white ink. Inside, the portfolio was printed on high-gloss paper to maximize the depth of the extremely dark photography.
Limited Edition of 250 , Signed.
47 pp , 8 x 10 in. Softcover
Where?
The zine can be purchased directly from the photographer through his website here. Priced at 55 USD, it certainly is one of the more high quality zines we have a seen of late and the photo aesthetics suit it as well.
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Thanks to our guest for his submissions, it is a really cool thing to be able to share zines with you all. And remember, this is open to everyone. If you would like to have your zines or books featured then all you have to do ismail me. Hopefully there will be plenty more of you who want to get your books and zines out there to the world. Another installment will be coming soon.
Thanks,
JCH
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