This week, we thought about some of the larger themes in life, like whether or not photos can get people to care about the world. The Bronx Documentary Center currently has an excellent exhibition showing a timeline of the full two decades of the war in Afghanistan. I know that the majority of the American public wants to be done with the issue, but Mike Kamber's interview makes a compelling case for why photos are so important to understanding that war and understanding ourselves. There's a lot to unpack.
Speaking of unpacking, the New York Times has a brilliant visual investigation into missing people in Mexico that will break your heart. We also looked at the oil spill in California, which is threatening wetland preserves along the coast like some monster out of FernGully. I can't say the photos are fun, but they might convince you that maybe we need to rethink our approach to oil (on a lot of levels).
The Guardian shows us what life is like in North Korea, while i-D magazine highlights one of the coolest photographers in Seoul. Marcus Maddox has a singular new approach to portraits — his piece in Interview magazine is a must-read. Also, Wallpaper asked Caroline Tompkins to take portraits of five creative luminaries and talk about her work, and both the portraits and the discussion are very revealing.
Even though it feels nothing like fall in New York, it is, in fact, football season for those who celebrate. The only team I've ever been truly invested in is the one from Friday Night Lights. As it turns out, there are photos of the original team that inspired the book, which was turned into a movie and then a TV series. Please enjoy the 1980s haircuts and the throwback look at small-town America in our interview with Robert Clark.
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"The Painterly Photography of Marcus Maddox" — Interview Magazine
