Hans Eijkelboom
The Street and Modern Life
Stockport, UK: Dewi Lewis Publishing, 2015
120 pp., 19 x 34.5 cm., hardcover
Edition size unknown
Multistory is a British arts organization based in West Bromwich who work with "outstanding artists to make art with, for and about the people of Sandwell." They work with local residents, photographers, writers, documentary film-makers and artists with the aim to reflect and celebrate "everyday life from factories, pubs and clubs, people’s homes, gurdwaras and markets." Their projects include Martin Parr's Black Country Stories, Black Country Allotment Society by his wife Susan Parr, and now The Street and Modern Life by Hans Eijkelboom.
Parr has long championed Eijkelboom's work, with effusive praise such as "If I were an anthropologist, the first photographer I would call upon is Hans Eijkelboom. In fact, if I were a visitor from another planet looking for information on the nature of city life, I would also engage the services of Eijkelboom".
Eijkelboom has published over fifty photo-based artist books, several of them portraits of cities (Amsterdam by Numbers, New York by Numbers, Paris New York Shanghai, etc.). In these series he stands on a street corner with a camera around his neck, surreptitiously photographing passersby. The images are later arranged into photogrids, creating 'teams' out of the random residents and tourists, typically based on their clothing. These images highlight the way our purchases reflect our deep rooted need to both belong to a community and to distinguish ourselves as individuals.
The book launches with a signing by the artist at 5pm on Wednesday July 8th, at the Cosmos in Magasin Électrique, Parc des Ateliers SNCF, Arles, France. Martin Parr will be signing his Black Country Stories the day prior. For a full listing of signings and events, visit the publisher's website, here.
Visit Multistory here.
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