dewi lewis publishing
Home | About Us | Index | Mail List | Offers | New & Recent Titles | Forthcoming | Collectors Editions | Links
|
ISBN:978-1-904587-97-2 |
AN ENGLISHMAN IN NEW YORK
photographs JASON BELL interviews by GUY HARRINGTON Introduced by ZOË HELLER In 2008 Jason Bell undertook an assignment for American Vogue at ‘Tea & Sympathy’, an English tea room in the heart of Manhattan. In conversation with the owner, Nicky Perry, he was astonished to discover that over 120,000 British men and women lived in New York City. As an Englishman, himself living in New York, Jason was inspired by this and decided to investigate further. His latest book An Englishman in New York is the result. The book documents a wide cross-section of English people living in the City. It features taxi drivers, cops, construction workers, divers, helicopter pilots, chefs, burlesque dancers, drug dealers, UN ambassadors and even dog walkers. Jason was also struck by the significant influence that many Brits exercise on New York’s cultural agenda, which led to him to include amongst his subjects: writer, Zoë Heller; director, Stephen Daldry; artists, Cecily Brown and Bill Jacklin; Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Thomas P Campbell; historian, Simon Schama; actor, Kate Winslet; and the musician, Sting. The book offers an extraordinary insight into the British sub-culture which forms an intrinsic part of everyday life in New York City. As Bell says, ’I went for a walk in Central Park with Sting, for a cup of tea on Kate Winslet’s roof terrace, sat on Zoë Heller’s stoop and watched Stephen Daldry cycle down 8th Avenue. I was given a private tour of both the Metropolitan Museum and Barneys’ shop windows. And amidst all the questions about why people had come here and what they had left behind, I learnt a little bit more about what it means to be English, what it means to be a New Yorker, and where the two intersect.’ Born in London, Jason Bell’s work regularly appears in the world's leading publications including Vanity Fair and Vogue (US & UK) and he has shot the film posters for Billy Elliot, About a Boy, Bridget Jones, Love Actually and Golden Compass amongst others. Critically acclaimed, he has been the recipient of several awards including a New York Photo Award, The Royal Photographic Society Terence Donovan Award and a US National Press Photographers Award. Many of his photographs have been acquired by the National Portrait Gallery for their permanent collection. Jason now lives in both London and New York. This is his fourth book. |
||
|
|
BABYLON
Surreal Babies From the collection of JAMES BIRCH With an introduction by GEORGE MELLY These weird and wonderful postcards show babies as never seen before. Babies hatch from eggs, bubble from cauldrons, are fished from rivers, emerge in the cabbage patch, sit atop clouds, and ride in zeppelins. They play instruments, drive automobiles, fly in balloons, harvest the fields; an anarchistic world of baby heaven. James Birch first came across the postcards when he was a student in Aix-en-Provence. “A froth of smiling babies boiling away in a cauldron” caught his eye and he bought a small number of cards. He didn’t really pay much attention to the cards again until years later in the 1980s when he visited the Pompidou Centre for an exhibition on Surrealism. There in one of the display cases was a collection of fantasy baby postcards shown for their inspirational importance to both the Dadaists and the Surrealists. He became hooked and started collecting. Despite the immensely varied subject matter of the postcards little is known of their history. They were produced from around 1900-1920 and were found from Russia, to Spain to Great Britain and most countries in between, however the majority appear to be from Germany. The postcards were a source of inspiration to many artists in the 1920s and 30s, in particular to both the Dadaists and the Surrealists. They were collected by Paul Éluard, André Breton, Salvador Dali, Hannah Höch, Herbert Bayer, and Man Ray. The popular images excited inspiration in these artists because of their boundless inventiveness. A foreword is written by George Melly whon was an acknowledged expert in the field of surrealism. Best known as a jazz and blues singer, writer and broadcaster, he was also an art critic and a devotee of the Surrealists. This is one of the last pieces he wrote before his death in 2007 at the age of 80. |
||
|
|
FORTUNATE STEPS
Photographs by JOHN COMINO-JAMES Authentic and fresh… the streets remain the preserve of those who live there … and when photographing the people he is among them, not sneaking a snap from across the street. – AG Photography Magazine reviewing ‘A Few Streets’, John Comino-James’s first book about Havana. In his second book of photographs made in Havana, John Comino-James has again set out to explore a part of the city not normally visited by tourists. The geographical scope of the photographs is restricted to a single road, the Calzada del Diez de Octubre. The route itself predates the foundation of the Parish of Jesús del Monte in the 17th century and was formerly known as the Calzada de Jesús del Monte. In 1918 the road was renamed in commemoration of one of the most important events in Cuban history – the declaration of the first full-scale war of independence against Spanish colonial rule on 10th October 1868 by Carlos Manuel de Céspedes. Although its once important function as the principal route to the south has been superseded with the construction of new highways, the Calzada still remains a busy urban thoroughfare. Through engaged portraits and candid observation and with an eye for both architectural detail and the imposing façades that stand as testimony to the changing architectural styles of well over a century, John Comino-James creates an intimate and sympathetic record of the Calzada del Diez de Octubre which, through its long history, occupies an important place in the imagination and memory of Habaneros today. Born in Somerset, John Comino-James lives near Thame in Oxfordshire. He has published four previous books of photographs; Nearly Every Tuesday, which documented Thame’s weekly street market; Fairground Attraction, which explored the way of life of travelling showmen; A Few Streets, A Few People, an intimate portrayal of the people and surroundings of the Cayo Hueso barrio in Havana, Cuba; and In a Very English Town, which, through photographs and texts acknowledges some of the qualities that typify Thame as an English market town. |
||
|
ISBN: 9781904587958 |
BINGO & SOCIAL CLUB
photographs MICHAEL HESS texts by MAXINE GALLAGHER & MICHAEL HESS Around 1pm, every day of the week, nearly 600 bingo halls across the UK open their doors to thousands of loyal customers. But, although they can be found on almost every British high street, surprisingly few people ever see what goes on inside. In Bingo & Social Club, photographer Michael Hess opens up this world to a new audience. Behind the often-crumbling exteriors, he finds vibrant places full of strong characters, quirky details and more than a hint of nostalgia. In his own words: “I want people to feel that they’ve spent a night at the bingo – to sense what it feels like to be there.” Michael explains how the project started. “I played bingo one night in 2005, just out of curiosity about what went on inside the big old converted cinema near my house. I was instantly fascinated by the characters. And so the next time I visited, I took my camera. 4 years and more than 60 bingo halls later I was ready to make Bingo & Social Club.” Michael Hess and Maxine Gallagher spent many nights in the clubs, playing bingo, chatting with the managers and customers, and collecting stories from the people they met. They wanted to find out who these people really were. “Bingo halls are not just about gambling; they’re about human beings. They really do act as social hubs for many communities.” Jack, the manager of a bingo club in Newcastle, forms the backbone of the book.“He’s quite a character – tough and yet extremely dignified – and I knew straight away he could add the extra dimension I was looking for. I’ve always been inspired by classic movies, and he suited the enigmatic lead role perfectly.” Michael Hess was born in 1977 in Eisenach, Germany, and now lives in London. His work has been exhibited in Host Gallery, London; The Millennium Centre, Cardiff; and Picturehouse Cinema, Southampton. As well as his own projects, he has freelanced for corporate publications and music magazines. Bingo & Social Club is his first book. |
||
.jpg)
dewi lewis publishing
8, Broomfield Road, Heaton Moor, Stockport SK4 4ND, England
Phone and fax: +44(0)161 442 9450
Email: mail@dewilewispublishing.com