Comments on: "All I wanted to do was record how all those poor people adapted to lies and suffering"

"All I wanted to do was record how all those poor people adapted to lies and suffering"

matteo — Wed, 18 May 2005 12:49:03 -0800

"Maybe this world is another planet's hell". Photographer Antonin Kratochvil's new book, "Vanishing" is a collection of 16 photo essays taken over 16 years by one of the world's most acclaimed photojournalists. It is a tour through endangered life forms and ruined environments, human catastrophes and destruction -- resulting in vanishing cultures. "Vanishing speaks on behalf of life, despite man's ever-threatening presence. This body of work offers nothing in the way of answers, neither is it a sermon in hopes of brighter days

By: amberglow

amberglow — Wed, 18 May 2005 14:26:44 -0800

i like the work, but that itself is a problem...Once things are removed into photos (with all their attendant cropping, finishing, etc) they're not urgent and become aesthetic things--to look at. He's showing us stuff, but what does he want?

By: amberglow

amberglow — Wed, 18 May 2005 14:31:08 -0800

(it's also that the people in the shots aren't really reacting to the environments so much as simply living in them, like we do--a testament to our adaptability--i actually take away a positive message, but i'm not sure i'm intended to)

By: mrgrimm

mrgrimm — Wed, 18 May 2005 14:56:18 -0800

Maybe this world is another planet's heaven? It's sure got to be better than Pluto. Then again, it is a lot hotter.

By: es_de_bah

es_de_bah — Wed, 18 May 2005 14:57:32 -0800

i don't know amberglow, where you see adaptability, I see dehumanization and apathy...not good old american 'view-from-afar' apathy either...scary,'frog-in-boiling-water' apathy. i really don't like the idea that people can live in those situations. and i suppose me being disturbed is what the artist intended.

By: es_de_bah

es_de_bah — Wed, 18 May 2005 14:59:27 -0800

come to think of it, mrgrimm, wasn't the whole heaven's gate crew headed for pluto?

By: amberglow

amberglow — Wed, 18 May 2005 15:03:46 -0800

(i don't know--maybe i'm just in an optimistic mood?) It's that the people are reacting to the environments they're in so much, but are just living, i think.

By: amberglow

amberglow — Wed, 18 May 2005 15:04:05 -0800

that the people aren't reacting...

By: perianwyr

perianwyr — Wed, 18 May 2005 15:22:46 -0800

Just because you're floating on the surface doesn't mean you haven't drowned yet.

By: amberglow

amberglow — Wed, 18 May 2005 15:39:35 -0800

but that's true for all of us, no matter where we are.

By: nanojath

nanojath — Wed, 18 May 2005 18:11:07 -0800

Maybe this planet IS another world's heaven, mrgrimm...

By: taz

taz — Thu, 19 May 2005 02:11:46 -0800

Also, 21 pages of Kratochvil images here, unfortunately presented without context, but still fascinating. You might even glimpse a famous face or two. Thanks, matteo!

By: Kellydamnit

Kellydamnit — Thu, 19 May 2005 06:39:49 -0800

I'm endlessly fascinated by the images of collapsing societies. It also terrifies me to see how much some of them look like parts of my own hometown. I don't have much to add, other than this is good. I only wish that the images were larger, on many it was tough to really make out what they were.

By: troutfishing

troutfishing — Thu, 19 May 2005 20:24:24 -0800

I refuse to give up.