Maps, encyclopedias, phone books, and old computer manuals are more than just obsolete sources of information for fine art photographer Cara Barer. The outdated publications serve as materials and subjects for the Houston-based artist’s ongoing series of works. Barer molds old books that are no longer of any use into exciting hoops and patterns, turning them into abstract sculptural pieces, and proceeds to photograph them against a black backdrop. The artist says that she is “attempting to blur the line between objects, sculpture, and photography.”
The hypnotic vision that each piece portrays presents an evolution in the medium. What was once a source of knowledge is now a near-extinct compilation of papers. With the rise of technology and the ease with which one can obtain info in the palm of their hand, a heavy phone book like the Yellow Pages, which initially inspired Barer’s work, seems like a useless and burdensome load. The artist says, “I have fully embraced that technology, and would not want to be without it, but, I also fear that it is rapidly leading us to rely less and less on the reference books common in the last two centuries.”
Cara Barer website
via [HayNay]