Almost (signed copy)
Guy ARCHARD
Published
by Bemojake,
2013
First edition limited to 400 copies
Hardcover
48 pages, 40 pictures
200mm x 250mm
Archard's
first book, 'almost',
is
an enigmatic
exploration of beauty and decay
both
in the physical
and metaphysical
form.
Abstracted
images take
the viewer
on a poetic
meander
through
relationships
with
loved
ones
past
and present,
accompanied
by pondering
day-dream
fixations on everyday
objects.
Archard
applies
various
modes of reproduction in his work,
projecting
his
own
manipulation on physical
objects,
transforming
what
exists
in physicality
in to artifacts
and signifiers
of his
own
world of contemplation. Sometimes
he
retains
clear
documentation of immediate
vision, which
anchor
his
place in the recognisable
state of being.
The images integrate
with
each
other
as if Archard
is
drifting
between
reality and unconsciousness,
vivid
memories
appear
within
the mist
of translucent
recollections and ongoing
struggles
between
the self and other.
Although
the work
is
a personal
creation,
the story is
open. The book has been laid out in such
a way
that
invites the viewer
to reflect
on their
own
sense
of self, and conceive
their
own
relationships
between
images. There is no
text
to direct the viewer
in the book, encouraging
you
to write
a completely
original narrative from
the material
provided.
The psychoanalytical
interpretation
of authenticity
comes
to mind
when
looking
at Archard's
work.
The idea
that
subjective intervention in what
we
recognise
as 'reality' is
the most
effective transportation of one's
deepest
truths.
The book itself
is
bound
in soft Japanese
cloth,
and beautifully
printed
on Japanese
paper,
with
a tipped
image on the front, and silver
foil blocked
titling
on the cover
and spine.
"The juxtaposition of image types in concept seems
discontinuous,
but Archard
has skilfully
sequenced
the images into
a smooth
continuous
flow... Almost includes
only
40 images but their
cumulative viewing
coaxes
the viewer
into
a reverie,
conjuring
a state of mid-afternoon
drifts or evening
pre-sleep
wonderment."
- GUP Magazine, Greg Andruszczenko
"A visual
poem,
'almost'
records Archard's
personal
connection
to his
material.
More than
statement
or declamation,
it's
a book of crepusclar
atmosphere
and mood."
– Claire de Rouen Books
"We
believe
this
is
a truly
beautiful
photobook
- on course to be tipped
as one of the books of the year."
– The Photographers'
Gallery
Bookshop