The Persistence of the Documentary Photobook in the Age of the Web
The Persistence of the Documentary Photobook in the Age of the Web

Summary/Abstract: Several artists who take into consideration the existence of the Internet in theirprocess of documenting the world remain faithful to the photography book. They find in thecodex an experience that a screen remains incapable of providing. The adoption of the bookby some documentarist artists engages appropriation practices from an ancient documentaryproject. War Primer 2 by Broomberg & Chanarin and Less Américains by Mishka Henner reproducepre-existing books, respectively The ABC of War by Bertolt Brecht and The Americansby Robert Frank. The renewed interest of artists and photographers in books can be explainedby a logic of comparison between the two media: the emergence of the web, with its formatsand specificities, makes it possible to better appreciate, by analogy and distinction, what characterizesbooks and the web, and what makes their respective languages.However, rather than thinking of the modes of publication as alternatives, some ofthe artists merge their logic by resorting to online self-publishing platforms that allow theself-production and self-distribution of books. The artist Mishka Henner stands out in particularfor his systematic production of books on self-publishing sites.

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