
Neal Slavin: When Two or More Are Gathered Together
Damiani (Publisher)
2nd Edition
Published on 15. September 2024
Book
Hardback
160 pages
978-88-6208-829-9 (ISBN)
Description
'Neal Slavin's images of people grouped together - from fencers to Star Trek fans, models to Bible collectors - have been entrancing viewers for half a century' - The Guardian
'Slavin's celebration of togetherness in an increasingly individualistic digital age feels especially relevant.' - BBC Culture
This expanded fifty-year anniversary edition of When Two or More Are Gathered Together revisits the question of social unity in the United States and includes new subjects-dogs, fencers and chambermaids-some photographed as recently as 2023.
Neal Slavin began taking group portraits in the early 1970s, intrigued by the social dynamics of groups and the motivations behind their formation. While the pictures themselves were most often posed, Slavin instructed his subjects to arrange themselves, allowing natural hierarchies and indications of status to emerge. When the series was first published in 1974, it was recognized as an instant landmark in the emerging field of color photography, a field that included photographers such as Stephen Shore and William Eggleston. Regarded as something of a deadpan stunt, yet framed as a serious social experiment, When Two or More Are Gathered Together was appreciated for its surprising insights into American social life. Fifty years later, on the eve of a presidential election, the United States grapples with profound social division and political unrest. This expanded fifty-year anniversary edition of When Two or More Are Gathered Together revisits the question of social unity in the United States and includes new subjects-dogs, fencers and chambermaids-some photographed as recently as 2023. An essay by art historian Kevin Moore offers historical context for this timely and relevant body of early color photography.
'Slavin's celebration of togetherness in an increasingly individualistic digital age feels especially relevant.' - BBC Culture
This expanded fifty-year anniversary edition of When Two or More Are Gathered Together revisits the question of social unity in the United States and includes new subjects-dogs, fencers and chambermaids-some photographed as recently as 2023.
Neal Slavin began taking group portraits in the early 1970s, intrigued by the social dynamics of groups and the motivations behind their formation. While the pictures themselves were most often posed, Slavin instructed his subjects to arrange themselves, allowing natural hierarchies and indications of status to emerge. When the series was first published in 1974, it was recognized as an instant landmark in the emerging field of color photography, a field that included photographers such as Stephen Shore and William Eggleston. Regarded as something of a deadpan stunt, yet framed as a serious social experiment, When Two or More Are Gathered Together was appreciated for its surprising insights into American social life. Fifty years later, on the eve of a presidential election, the United States grapples with profound social division and political unrest. This expanded fifty-year anniversary edition of When Two or More Are Gathered Together revisits the question of social unity in the United States and includes new subjects-dogs, fencers and chambermaids-some photographed as recently as 2023. An essay by art historian Kevin Moore offers historical context for this timely and relevant body of early color photography.
More details
Edition
New revised edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Bologna
Italy
Edition type
Revised edition
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
118 Illustrations, color
Dimensions
Height: 233 mm
Width: 172 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
702 gr
ISBN-13
978-88-6208-829-9 (9788862088299)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Neal Slavin (born 1941) graduated from the Cooper Union School of Art and Architecture. He has published three photobooks: Portugal (1971), When Two or More Are Gathered Together (1976) and Britons (1986). He directed and produced the 2001 film Focus, based off of Arthur Miller's novel of the same name.