Best photo books by American documentarian Alec Soth
- Text by Andrea Kurland
- Photography by Alec Soth
Alec Soth has his first major UK exhibition, Gathered Leaves, at the Science Museum, London, until March 28, 2016. Here are a selection of game-changing books by a man who roams the backwaters of America.
Sleeping By the Mississippi
For this project, inspired by Huckleberry Finn, Soth explored hidden pockets of the Midwest – from pentecostal churches and Angola State prison to the boyhood home of Johnny Cash – leaving himself open to unplanned encounters.
Niagra
Driving up to Niagara Falls, Alec’s “second album” unravelled a place famous for suicide and new love. “There’s this intensity of emotion that swirls around the Falls,” he says. Shooting cheap motels, newly-weds and honeymooner nudes, and inspired by Marilyn Monroe’s Niagara, Alec tried to access the dark contradictions of hope and heartache.
Broken Manual
Ducking below the radar for Broken Manual, Soth went into the wild in search of hermits, survivalists and monastic outsiders. “I was making a manual for men who want to run away from life,” he says, flipping through stark images that marked a conceptual departure, intertwined with diagrams that make no sense. “The idea of the manual is that it’s broken – it doesn’t work.” Behold a treescape that looks ordinary and mundane; it’s the view that Theodore John Kaczynski, the ‘Unabomber’, would have taken in while making his homemade bombs. “I became more interested in that – the idea of the picture, rather than the picture itself.”
Songbook
A scrapbook of stories that explore community in the age of virtual interactions. Texan cheerleaders, ravers in New York, solemn solitary figures – the images Alec captured spoke of a modern malaise; our desire to be individuals and part of something all at once. “It’s about nostalgia, a longing for the past, as well as an anxiety for the future,” says Alec, who came to see the images as his Great American Songbook, a collection of songs evocative of another time.
Check out the full article in Huck 53 – The Change Issue. Grab a copy in the Huck Shop or subscribe today to make sure you don’t miss another issue.
You might like
India’s bodybuilding boom reflects a nation flexing its muscles
Huck’s debut feature documentary reveals how young Indian men are willing to turn their backs on tradition and compete for a better life – even if it means sacrificing their health.
Written by: Alex King
Inside the indie print revolution: How to make your own magazine
With some of the world’s most prominent publishers facing difficulty and announcing layoffs, you’d be forgiven for thinking the publishing industry was on its last legs. In fact, the modern landscape is full of possibility.
Written by: Lydia Morrish
Inside Ireland’s first queer Gaelic football team
Wear your colours — As the country slowly frees itself from the grip of social conservatism, its national sports are modernising too, powered by a new generation of athletes and fans determined to create more inclusive spaces. At the forefront of this movement is Na Gaeil Aeracha, the country’s first ever queer GAA club.
Written by: Róisín Lanigan
Huck Issue 77 is out now
It’s Mitski season — Our new magazine is here, starring the inimitable Mitski. Order your copy now and join us on a trip around the world.
Written by: Niall Flynn
The daredevil exploits of Dhanbad’s DIY stuntmen
Lift off — In Jharkhand state, a group of Indian riders are keeping a dying tradition alive. Welcome to the Death Well: a gravity-defying display of fearlessness that reimagines what’s possible on a two-wheeled machine.
Written by: Niall Flynn
The radical history of Paris b-boy culture is under threat
Break away — Born in the Bronx back in the ’70s, breakdancing later found a similar home in the banlieues of Paris, where marginalised communities adopted the style as a vessel for protest. In 2024, it will feature as an Olympic sport for the first time – but what does this mean for its radical roots?
Written by: Peter Yeung
