Being a photographer who has burned several thousand rolls of film (and who knows how many megapixels) in remote and fading small towns in these center states, Leland ordered Barry Phipps book from amazon.com the day he found it. He wrote this review but amazon wouldn’t post it yet as the publication date is still a couple of weeks away. He’s sharing his thoughts anyway!
Between Gravity and What Cheer is certainly a quirky name for a book. The images in this photo essay don’t betray that title. Apparently rural Iowa has become one big funky outsider art project. Does photographer Barry Phipps get a phone call when the inhabitants of these burgs have finished an installation of abandoned buildings, leftover signage, architectural details painted orange, the whole ironically juxtaposed? Does he then motor out and snap a picture? You’ve heard of “found art”—this is a collection of “found towns.” Not that there’s anything wrong with that—it’s all very, well, quirky. This obvious collaboration between Iowa villagers and the hip (former) big city photographer regrettably is not acknowledged. Had the book credited all the small town folks though who have created these surreal tableaus it would have needed a couple of extra signatures.
It’s delightfully upbeat and pretty bold for a university press. I’ll be buying several for Christmas presents. This is a great gift to one’s urban acquaintances who scoff at the postmodern esthetic sensibilities of those of us who live out here in the cultural wasteland of the flat (once) tall grass prairie Middle West.
Between Gravity and What Cheer will be available … or is available now on amazon.com. Try your luck. We ordered and received our copy, but they wouldn’t let Leland post his review yet as the publication date is May 15.