Roswell Angier, American Suburb X, showgirls and a certain rogueishness…

  • a kind of life-conversations in the combat zone-roswell angier-Afterhours Sleaze and Dignity

    For a fair while I was somewhat obsessed with a handful of images from Roswell Angier’s 1976 photography book/project “…a kind of life”: conversations in the combat zone.

    a kind of life-conversations in the combat zone-roswell angier-Afterhours Sleaze and Dignity-2

    a kind of life-conversations in the combat zone-roswell angier-Afterhours Sleaze and Dignity-3The top two on this page in particular seemed to capture a certain kind of afterhours rogueish that I wanted to, well, capture with my own Afterhours photography/work and they also put me in mind of Mr Joe Whitney’s photograph from outside portal that was The Black Gardenia in Soho, London (see Day #15/365a).

    (Although I’ve tended to work more in amongst a kind of imaginitive theatre of such things whereas  “…a kind of life” is actually a very raw examination of showgirls and others lives amongst the underbelly of a certain area of Boston in the US.)

    The photograph below puts me in mind of David Lynch’s work around the time of Blue Velvet (see Day #24/365a) and Twin Peaks – one of those times when life seems to have crossed over into a beyond real story (see Day #13/365a).

    a kind of life-conversations in the combat zone-roswell angier-Afterhours Sleaze and Dignity-4View more on  “…a kind of life” at American Suburb X here and here – well worth a wander for a particular take on fine art photography that draws me in while also often having a not-quite-definable transgressive and seediness to it.

    Although now long out of print, you could purchase the book via here or indeed through the ways and wiles of modern technology you can view the whole thing at ExposedtoLight.

    (PS Tread carefully when viewing those links – as I said a moment ago, this is life somewhat in the raw).

    Peruse the book here.

     

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