Offset printed linen, edition of 1000 copies.

„There is a feeling of reliable ‘comme il faut’ when one takes this book in one’s hands. The texture of the cover, the matt paper, the font shape and colours are discrete, barely noticeable, the hint of salmon in the treatment of colours adding an almost carnal touch. Turning the cover page, one is startled by scarlet orange - an intriguing opening.

Leafing through the book, urban silences, absences, quiet traces of things no longer there are intertwined with movement, collision, loudness. Tide-like, they come closer to each other before moving away, subsiding. The fleshy salmon hue and human shadows reappear in the final image, offering a reassuring closure.

Taken in many different cities, the images of both photographers intermingle on the pages without text and without any obvious narrative or concept. Unguided, the viewer searches the images for clues, speculates and enters the realm of imagination. Not having identifying names frees and confuses at the same time. There is no certainty or supposition, the question ‘who did this?’ becomes absurd as the two authors seem to flow into a single signature.

That the book should emanate such a strong sense of cohesion is surprising. Something unfathomable lingers in all the images, and even between the empty pages. A poetry of absence glues them together, a story of perishable structure and vulnerability, of contrasts, of disappearing shapes and volumes, things that are not what they appear to be. Traces of former identities permeate the layers or are superimposed upon each other. No matter how solid the material, it seems to be in constant state of organic flow.

There is also an almost impertinent quality to many of the images: they dare to subvert the classic rules of composition, as if the urbs constantly decomposing and recomposing itself affected the way we look. The balance of the otherwise perfectly composed image is slightly off-centre, slightly wayward. The lines move irreverently, the mathematics behind them different from what is expected in classical perspective. Often a certain disquieting quality enhances the mystery of what it is that one is actually looking at. As our perception is shaken, doors to a different poetic reality open.

Many facets of the urban fabric are mundane and usually escape our notice. These two photographers seem to have opted for a multiple challenge:

- To go beyond the idea of documenting ‘ordinary’ reality by choosing as their subjects details or scenes that are no longer recognisable as part of urban life,

-To orient the viewer’s attention to the movement, volume, shadow or light, reducing the subject to the level of abstraction, often seemingly depriving the image of its third dimension, and thus of its usual meaning. The fragility thus created prevents the reality from being taken for granted.

‘Linger’ is one of the more original photobooks I have lately seen. To find a photobook that eschews narrative or guiding concept but offers seemingly unrelated urban sketches and abstracted vignettes instead, rekindles childlike curiosity and sense of wonder. Taken out of their context and without any obvious overall meaning or intent, these photographs have a voice of their own and across the pages they enter into multi-faceted dialogues. While our eyes follow the images, reality turns fragile and our pre-conceptions gently melt.“ (Vera Knezevic)

http://sargeart.com

Pages: 112
Place: Köln
Year: 2016
Publisher: Druckerei & Verlag Gebrüder Kopp
Size: 27 x 30 cm (approx.)

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