The photographer obsessed with matters of life and death
- Text by Biju Belinky
- Photography by Nick Meyer
Nick Meyer is afraid of dying. But unlike most of us, instead of trying to numb that fear away, only dealing with it when forced to during a 3AM existential crisis, he decided to face it head on. That’s how Either Limits or Contradictions came about – as a study on life and death in photographic form.
Of course, the cycle of existence means something different to everyone. While some might take solace in religion and the knowledge of a higher power, others find comfort in humanity, the side that says that the meaning of life is in the experiences you have and the people around you.
Nick’s approach seems to lean towards the latter – not looking to reach a particular finite conclusion or explanation, but using images of his close friends and family to offer an emotional insight into his experiences of loss and new beginnings.
Maisie (Striped Shirt)
Divided into three chapters, the book is a collection of personal images collected over the years, going from the fast pace of youth, through to a period of observation and attentiveness, until it reaches a mature analysis on what it means to be alive, and in consequence, to die.
As a conclusion to his foreword, Nick says: “I made these pictures as a reminder that things pass. That I will pass and you will pass, a tree will fall and the sun will set, and then it will happen again. It is a memorial of a life being lived. A meditation on pacing and prose and letting things unfold. These pictures are a means of facing our truths and accepting our fate.”
Alexis on a Round Bed
Emily’s Trailer (Be a Friend)
Will with Mud on His Feet
Lightning
Elaine with Leaves in Her Hair
White Dog in a Red Car
Alexis Taking a Picture
Cats
Anna’s New Tattoo (Live or Die)
Either Limits or Contradictions is out now, published by Daylight Books.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
You might like
In photos: The newsagents keeping print alive
Save the stands — With Huck 83 hitting shelves around the world, we met a few people who continue to stock print magazines, defying an enduringly tough climate for physical media and the high street.
Written by: Ella Glossop
The quiet, introspective delight of Finland’s car cruising scene
Pilluralli — In the country’s small towns and rural areas, young people meet up to drive and hang out with their friends. Jussi Puikkonen spent five years photographing its idiosyncratic pace.
Written by: Josh Jones
The last days of St Agnes Place, London’s longest ever running squat
Off the grid — Photographer Janine Wiedel spent four years documenting the people of the Kennington squat, who for decades made a forgotten row of terraced houses a home.
Written by: Isaac Muk
How Japan revolutionised art & photography in the ’60s and ’70s
From Angura to Provoke — A new photobook chronicles the radical avant-garde scene of the postwar period, whose subversion of the medium of image making remains shocking and groundbreaking to this day.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Artifaxing: “We’ve become so addicted to these supercomputers in our hands”
Framing the future — Predominantly publishing on Instagram and X, the account is one of social media’s most prominent archiving pages. We caught up with the mysterious figure behind it to chat about the internet’s past, present and future, finding inspiration and art in the age of AI.
Written by: Isaac Muk
The lacerating catharsis of body suspension in Hong Kong
Self-Ferrying — In one of the world’s most densely packed cities, an underground group of young people are piercing their skin and hanging their bodies with hooks in a shocking exploration of pain and pleasure. Sophie Liu goes to a session to understand why they partake in the extreme underground practice.
Written by: Sophie Liu
