josef chladek

on photobooks and books

Lewis Bush - Metropole, Self published, 2015, London

Softcover, black and white on matt paper, open edition.

„Metropole was once a term used to describe London in its relationship with the British Empire, a relationship hierarchical and unequal, with power radiating out from the metropolitan centre, and the resources of the dominions radiating back in return.
The decline of the national empires of the eighteenth and nineteenth century has given rise to a new global power, one which has centred itself on the site of old metropole. This is the power of global capital, a force which views everything it encounters in terms of a simple binary, of opportunity or obstacle. Metropole records the effect of this capital influx on London, the rapid transformation of swathes of the metropolis, and the sensation of feeling lost in a city one once regarded as home.“
„Metropole is the result of dozens of walks taken through London, recording new construction sites and high rises. These structures typify the influx of capital and the development boom which has transformed large swathes of the city in recent years, in the process making London increasingly unequal, unaffordable, and unfamiliar for those who live here.
As the book progresses the dream-like photographs become increasingly confusing and nightmarish, warping into complex overlapping patterns reminiscent of the abstractions of Vorticist paintings, before finally coming to rest on the financial centre of the city, the dark heart driving this change.“

Order at Lewis' shop.

Pages: 30
Place: London
Year: 2015
Publisher: Self published
Size: 21 x 30 cm (approx.)