Flesh, Inuuteq Storch

Flesh is a book about homesickness and the longing to find familiarity in the unfamiliar.  Inuuteq Storch hails from Greenland, whilst the work is made from time he spent living in New York, in the preface he says “I started finding images that represented familiarity in this unfamiliar place.” The book has 72 photographs which cross street photography with a more diaristic feeling. 

The use of flash reminds us we are looking at the world through Storch’s lens his presence announced by the on camera flash looming on its subjects. The frames chaotic, bright and full of life. They are filled with details for the viewers to digest, leaving them overwhelmed. Using a snapshot aesthetic creates photographs that are visceral due to the imperfections that run through the frame. The soft focus, blur from camera shake all add to the authenticity presented in Storchs vision.

Storch has managed to create a personal NYC whilst avoiding the cliches that riddle the photography of those working in the big apple.

Flesh is a book that takes you through the world of Inuuteq Storch.

Three word review

• Chaotic 

• Personal

• Visceral 

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Good Goddamn, Bryan Schutmaat

Good Goddamn is a simple book, but one that hit me.

The book introduces itself with a photograph of a dirt track followed by the lyrics of Townes Van Zandt songs, High, low and in between. The mood of both the song and book, akin to one another. The pages accommodate a collection of photographs taken prior to the imprisonment of Bryan Schutmaat’s friend Kris. The photographs taken in Leon County evoke a world of dream like qualities. Shades of grey constructing the plates which have a mystical air to them. These show the simple pleasures of Kris’s last days of freedom. The crime is not specified nor is the duration of his sentence, the details of the crime irrelevant. The book reminds us to savour the simple pleasures and cherish even the most vernacular moments.

The book itself uses carton staples to bind the pages. There is no hardcover, it is an object with little pretentiousness, a hand written title adds to the personal feeling of the book. The book only has twenty seven images, in these images we are weaved a narrative of American Masculinity that cuts a little deeper than the surface we are shown. The conservative edit allows for the viewer to fill in these gaps, providing a more emotionally connected book as the readers own thoughts and interpretations are prompted into creating the books narrative.

Good Goddamn is a book worthy of your attention.

Three word review

• Longing

• Dreamlike

• Genuine

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