Lost in Publications (“Sleeping by the Mississippi” is Alec Soth first...)

“Sleeping by the Mississippi” is Alec Soth first book, published 2004 by Steidl, - sold out and already a classic.

Shot over a period of 5 years, he followed the four thousand kilometers long river, from its source in Minnesota to the delta on the Gulf of Mexico. Far away from the typical Mississippi clichés, Alec Soth documents the poverty, decay and eccentricity of the region. But the project is not just about this, it’s more about the spirit of wandering and about the dreams of the people he photographed.

“In the beginning the project had nothing to do with the Mississippi. It evolved from a project called From Here to there in which one picture leads to another, connected by an idea or a theme. In the process, I travelled down the Mississippi, but I got to thinking that the idea was too gimmicky, so I shifted to the idea of the Mississippi being a link between the pictures.” - Alec Soth

“Sleeping by the Mississippi”, Steidl 2004 © Alec Soth (pictures via: photoeye)

I can highly recommend Colin Pantall’s review, which gives you a great insight of this work, and also Aaron Schuman’s interview with Alec Soth.

If you still hungry for more information about the project and the working methods of Alec Soth, make sure you watch the talk with Andrei Codrescu.

@1 year ago with 9 notes
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#Alec Soth #Sleeping by the Mississippi