Charcoal Book Club – April 2021
About the Book: Anaglypta by Nick Waplington
The 512 photographs in Anaglypta are previously unpublished images from Waplington’s archives. The sequence loosely follows the artists’ career, which, in Waplington’s mind, is bookended by the rise and fall of neo liberalism. “The book kind of encapsulated this period of 40 years where we moved away from the utopian goals of the post war period, such as the living in the middle class, good education, the sciences, and the ideals of progress.” The photographs are informed by the rebel spirit Waplington first found in London’s underground music scene, and his first forays into the art world came in the form of zines made with photographs of the clubs he’d frequent.
“1979…Fuel strikes, rubbish piling up in the street it felt like the end of times, the end of my childhood at least. As we danced to the sound of joy division and the clash in my bedroom during the six week period that schools were closed I saw this collapse as only a positive thing, concerts and skate parks for me instead of studying, I loved it. As the year turned the new decade, 1980 I was 14 years old and i somehow got hold of my first camera. It gave me a place in the do it yourself movement of the post punk generation. I could take pictures wherever I went and share them with friends and try to get a few into local fanzines. That was the goal, fanzine photographer back then in 1980 aged 14. As the years progressed and punk gave way to electro, hip hop and then house music all night long I carried the camera with me always. Without thinking about the long term consequences of this I slowly but surely started to build an archive of the time, my time. The music I loved became a gateway to art and politics and eventually lead me to art school. From there the need to find something to belong to became an obsession and then a life. Always the camera, always the people…so this book is part one a crisscrossing non linear journey through those 40 years using the images I have taken ‘on the go’ mixed with a number of smaller projects that have never seen the light of day. Plus projects for art forum and gallery only based work. . I hope you enjoy the adventure in pictures as much as I did making them. Oh and Anaglypta…its whatever you want it to be.” - Nick Waplington.
Book Details:
First edition
Signed copies
512 previously unpublished photographs
Pages 508
170mm x 240mm
First Edition of 1000
Published by Jesus Blue
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