Jens Olof Lasthein - Far Near
428 SEK
- AuthorJens Olof Lasthein
- BindingHard cover
- Dimensions290x232
- ISBN9789152736678
- LanguageEnglish
- LayoutPatric Leo
- Pages208
- PhotographerJens Olof Lasthein
- Published Year2022
- PublisherDiep publishing
- TitleFar Near
- Weight1428
Description
Article no.: 9789152736678
Far Near is a visual roadtrip to the far geographical corners of Europe and to its very center. The four corners are Iceland to the north west, the northern Ural mountains to the north east, the Caucasus to the south east and Portugal to the south west. Beyond these regions it is no longer Europe.
Jens Olof Lasthein discovered that drawing diagonal lines across the map between these corners they cross each other in what must logically be the center of Europe: Belarus, a country he knows well. Still, the thought that this is the center of Europe never struck him. On the contrary, Lasthein writes that travelling around the country often reminds him of the backwater where he grew up.
The panoramic photos and text from all five destinations are intertwined all through the book. The reader will never know for certain where he/she is, hinting that although geographical origin is important, more factors are decisive in human life than what corner of the Europe one happens to live in.
Thematically, the book challenges the notion that a midpoint is always central and outposts are always marginalized. From what viewpoint do we form our shared reality? Further more, it advocates the idea that Europe still is the geographical entity it used to be - not just another word for the European Union. In consequence it alters the now-established perspective of the continent. In the book, the reader is taken through a display of sceneries, portraits and situations dealing with human conditions and states of mind, all aimed at creating both surprise and recognition.
About the photographer:
Jens Olof Lasthein is an award-winning Swedish photographer and has been working as a freelance for almost 30 years. His work can be classified as subjective documentary and for emotional reasons he works entirely with a wideangle panoramic format in all of his personal projects. "Finding the panoramic camera was like finding my eyes", he's said.
He has published four monographs and has held over 50 solo exhibitions around the world. His first book Moments in Between was selected by Martin Parr and Gerry Badger for The Photobook: A History, vol II. In 2010 he received the Leica Oscar Barnack Award for a series of pictures which later became part of his latest book, Meanwhile Across the Mountain. He is presently the recipient of a 10 year work grant from the Swedish Arts Grants Committee. For more details, see his website www.lasthein.se
Jens Olof Lasthein discovered that drawing diagonal lines across the map between these corners they cross each other in what must logically be the center of Europe: Belarus, a country he knows well. Still, the thought that this is the center of Europe never struck him. On the contrary, Lasthein writes that travelling around the country often reminds him of the backwater where he grew up.
The panoramic photos and text from all five destinations are intertwined all through the book. The reader will never know for certain where he/she is, hinting that although geographical origin is important, more factors are decisive in human life than what corner of the Europe one happens to live in.
Thematically, the book challenges the notion that a midpoint is always central and outposts are always marginalized. From what viewpoint do we form our shared reality? Further more, it advocates the idea that Europe still is the geographical entity it used to be - not just another word for the European Union. In consequence it alters the now-established perspective of the continent. In the book, the reader is taken through a display of sceneries, portraits and situations dealing with human conditions and states of mind, all aimed at creating both surprise and recognition.
About the photographer:
Jens Olof Lasthein is an award-winning Swedish photographer and has been working as a freelance for almost 30 years. His work can be classified as subjective documentary and for emotional reasons he works entirely with a wideangle panoramic format in all of his personal projects. "Finding the panoramic camera was like finding my eyes", he's said.
He has published four monographs and has held over 50 solo exhibitions around the world. His first book Moments in Between was selected by Martin Parr and Gerry Badger for The Photobook: A History, vol II. In 2010 he received the Leica Oscar Barnack Award for a series of pictures which later became part of his latest book, Meanwhile Across the Mountain. He is presently the recipient of a 10 year work grant from the Swedish Arts Grants Committee. For more details, see his website www.lasthein.se