From the Book Shelf - New York Sleeps by Christopher Thomas
The ‘From the Book Shelf’ series of blogs are where I share my favourite photobooks, and this month the chosen book is New York Sleeps by Christopher Thomas.
New York, the city that never sleeps...
Now imagine a New York devoid of people with empty streets and bridges, silent parks, and communal spaces. This is exactly what Christopher Thomas presents us in his book, New York Sleeps.
Thomas uses a large-format polaroid camera to take images of New York, including many famous landmarks, such as Grand Central Station. Except in the world captured by Thomas, there are no commuters, no cars lining up bumper to bumper on Fifth Avenue. The ethereal nature of the images, a result of using polaroid's, only adds to their quiet haunting and dreamlike quality.
‘Grand Central Terminal II’ - pg 21.
Without people and traffic, the images allow you to appreciate the architectural wonder of these icons of New York and appreciate the open spaces the city offers. The images have been shot at night or the very early hours of the morning, resulting in long exposures.
‘From Southpoint Park’ - pg 35. (One of my favourite images from the book)
Presented in black and white, complete with the edges of the polaroid's give the images an unmistakably timeless and nostalgic feel. The lack of people or cars also make it difficult to date when the image was made too.
The book is divided into five sections, each with its own distinct theme. For example, section II is all about bridges, and section IV are parks and other communal spaces. I like the breaks that the various sections provide, and they act as a simple visual clue that we’re changing to a different element of New York. It also allows you to break down the viewing experience into smaller chunks, should you choose to do so.
‘Verrazano Narrows Bridge’ - pg 89
‘Central Prak, Bethesda Fountain IV’ - pg 113
Included in the book are three separate essays, which give an insight to the collection of images and its relationship to the substantial volume of work already produced about New York. They are grounded, without being too grandiose, and add to the overall experience of the images.
Interestingly, Thomas works in advertising and is well known for portraits of celebrities, so the fact that his personal work portrays a world that is devoid of people is probably a great way to escape what I can only imagine is a very ‘noisy’ world. This is something that I’m interested in with my own work, so it’s no wonder I enjoy this book so much and is one that I return to often.
‘South Ferry Terminal’ - pg 101
‘Ice Cream Parlour, Brooklyn’ - pg 135
The overall quality of the publication is excellent, from the linen cover to the quality of the 144 pages inside, comprising 70 duotone photographs.
The book is available through Thomas’ own website, which I would always recommend doing where possible, and is 48 EUROS.
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