Author: Alec Soth

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The Auckland Project

In a recent interview in the Telegraph, I was asked whom I’d like to work with? My answer was as follows:

I’m a terrible collaborator. I’ve worked with someone I’ve idolized as a young photographer – John Gossage. I found the process nerve-wracking. So if I was going to collaborate again, I might have to wait a couple of decades until someone idolizes me.

Working alongside John was stressful, but it was also life changing. After learning so much from this master of the medium (and friend), I began the process of dismantling my career. My experience in Auckland got me away from large-format work and was the precursor for projects like ‘The Most Beautiful Woman in Georgia‘ and ‘The Loneliest Man in Missouri’.

I’m happy to announce that this work is now being published by Radius Books. Entitled The Auckland Project, the result is something quite unique. My contribution is a half-book, half-poster creation that functions as a dialog with John’s virtuosic book. The project is also being presented as a special edition with prints by Gossage and myself.

More info here.

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On Lists

For the Flickr Pool I created in conjunction with the Walker Art Center, the first assignment was a sort of photographic treasure hunt. The subjects of the hunt are: Pilots, Amateur Paintings, Unusually Tall People, Museum Guards, Sleeping Children, Neighborhood Bars, Supermarket Cashiers, Sheep, Sedans, Suitcases.

This list was derived from my business card circa 2002. This was the card I used while I was photographing Sleeping by the Mississippi (and is reproduced in the Walker’s exhibition catalogue).

As I said in the introduction to the Flickr assignment, I like these lists because they are excuse to get out the door. But the reason I used the list on my business card is because it explains my photographic practice. I don’t want to just photograph Weimreimers. I want my subject to be, as Robert Frank put it in his 1954 Guggenheim Fellowship proposal, ‘broad’ and ‘voluminous’.

For the record, Frank himself was a list maker:

If you wanna take a crack at my list, come join the Flickr Pool. We’re taking submissions until September 27th. Happy Hunting…

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** BROKEN MANUAL **

I’m so happy to finally announce my new Steidl book: Broken Manual. Four years in the making (2006-2010), this book represents a significant departure from my previous publications. Working with the writer Lester B. Morrison, we’ve created an underground instruction manual for men looking to escape their lives.

It is common to follow up the publication of a book with a ‘Special Edition,’ but in the case of Broken Manual, this edition is being presented first. I think of this as the ‘Ideal Edition’ of Broken Manual. Each of the 300 copies of the book is housed inside of another, one-of-a-kind book. These signed and numbered ‘shell’ books are unique and cut by hand. Inside the shell, there is also a small booklet entitled ‘Liberation Billfold Manifest’ and an 8×10” print signed and numbered by myself and Lester B. Morrison.

The book can only be purchased at Steidlville (UK) or Little Brown Mushroom (US).

Note: This special edition will be installed as a part of my survey exhibition at the Walker Art Center (September 12 – January 2, 2011). They will be shipped to buyers in January 2011.

More info here.

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‘From Here To There’ Flickr Project

In connection with my exhibition at the Walker Art Center, I’m creating a series of Flickr group projects that are linked to my photographic process.

Assignment #1: The Treasure Hunt

A trick I use to find pictures is to create a list of things I’m curious about that then go and beat the bushes. Even if I don’t find what I’m looking for, it gets me out the door and moving around in the world.

For our first Flickr Project, I’ve created a list of 10 items to photograph. Shoot as many as you can and post them in our group pool, and then check out our “Discussions” pages to talk about your work. I’ll post some of my favorite images on the Walker Art Center Visual Arts blog. On October 1st I’ll pick my favorite treasure hunter and send them a signed copy of the From Here to There catalogue.

Here’s the list:

Pilots
Amateur Paintings
Unusually Tall People
Museum Guards­
Sleeping Children
Neighborhood bars
Supermarket Cashiers
Sheep
Sedans
Suitcases

Happy Hunting,

P.S. You’ll get extra points for combining pictures – I’d love to see an unusually tall museum guard holding a suitcase.

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Good day for Soth / bad day for Spam

After months of dealing with hackers, we finally moved alecsoth.com and littlebrownmushroom.com to a new host/server. There have been a few bumps in the road but things seem to be working. Thanks for your patience.

Meanwhile, today I began installing my exhibition at the Walker Art Center. Can’t tell you how good it feels to move from the scale model to the real space. And I’m SO SO HAPPY with the show. The first thing I said upon seeing the work was “maybe my career isn’t over.” Speaking of which, today the fantastic curator Bartholomew Ryan posted an interview with me entitled: Dismantling My Career: A Conversation with Alec Soth.

I hope to post more installation pictures this week on on Tumblr / Facebook / Twitter.

Stay Tuned,

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LBM collaborators

Photographing outside of Steve LaFontaine’s home in Northwest Arkansas, 2007

This week I begin installing my exhibition at the Walker Art Center. I can’t wait to see my new project, Broken Manual, on the walls. I’ve been at work on this beast since 2006.  I’ve photographed from Georgia to Alaska and just about everywhere in between. Along the way I’ve met some wonderful people. These folks are not just the ‘subjects’ of my photographs. In many cases they are true collaborators. It has been so gratifying to be in touch with two of these collaborators this week as I finally prepare our work.

  • The Arkansas Cajun, Steve LaFontaine. In the process of photographing hermits, monks, survivalists and so on, I’ve met a lot of sad men. But Steve isn’t one of them. Steve lives his life with fierce conviction. He’s a lean and mean renegade, but that doesn’t prevent him from also being a really great guy. I was so touched by this recent blog post by Steve.
  • Lester B. Morrison. Brother Les has been a collaborator for a number of years. A lot of you know him from this blog, but Les doesn’t get out and about much. So it was so great when he agreed to show up for his opening at the Soap Factory last Saturday night. There are picture of Lester here and here.

Stay tuned for details on my collaboration with Lester, Broken Manual (which includes a portrait of Steve LaFontaine). In the meantime, you can purchase a new trio of zines by Lester here – but act fast, 1/4 of them are already sold.

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New LBM Publication(s)!

This is a big weekend for Lester B. Morrison. On Saturday Les will be having his first exhibition at The Soap Factory in Minneapolis. In honor of this momentous occasion, we’re launching not one but three new zines by Morrison. As many of you know, we published Lester’s first zine, Lost Boy Mountain, last December. It went on to be named one of the best books of 2009.

Lester’s new zines are Library for Broken Men, Lonely Bearded Men and Lester Becomes Me. All zines are individually numbered in an edition of 500 but are sold as a single package for $13. More info here.

Buy yours here.

P.S. Stay tuned for Broken Manual, a collaboration between Lester and myself published by Steidl.