BEYOND CARING - Paul Grahams
Originally published in 1985, Paul Graham's celebrated "Beyond Caring" series was made in the waiting rooms and corridors of the UK's social security and unemployment offices, documenting the long waits, queues and poor conditions of an overburdened system, to produce a series of powerful photographs that convey the hardships faced by people. Not having received official permission to produce the work, Graham took his photographs discreetly, usually without looking at the camera, resulting in a spatial disorientation that highlighted the plight of vulnerable citizens. The work shocked many on its release - leading Magnum photographers were outraged by the use of color in a classic documentary subject, while others celebrated the way it straddled the worlds of activism and art (it was exhibited at both the Union Conferences and the Museum of Modern Art in New York). Graham created a new form of engaged photography, blending elements of social documentary, "new color" and reportage to create a striking body of work that endures to this day. Several decades have passed since they were made in 1984, but these images have gained importance not only photographically, but also as a unique historical record of the unemployment crisis in the UK in the mid-1980s.
Published by Mackbooks, 2021
32.2 x 24.3cm
84 pages
ISBN 978-1-913620-12-7
Originally published in 1985, Paul Graham's celebrated "Beyond Caring" series was made in the waiting rooms and corridors of the UK's social security and unemployment offices, documenting the long waits, queues and poor conditions of an overburdened system, to produce a series of powerful photographs that convey the hardships faced by people. Not having received official permission to produce the work, Graham took his photographs discreetly, usually without looking at the camera, resulting in a spatial disorientation that highlighted the plight of vulnerable citizens. The work shocked many on its release - leading Magnum photographers were outraged by the use of color in a classic documentary subject, while others celebrated the way it straddled the worlds of activism and art (it was exhibited at both the Union Conferences and the Museum of Modern Art in New York). Graham created a new form of engaged photography, blending elements of social documentary, "new color" and reportage to create a striking body of work that endures to this day. Several decades have passed since they were made in 1984, but these images have gained importance not only photographically, but also as a unique historical record of the unemployment crisis in the UK in the mid-1980s.
Published by Mackbooks, 2021
32.2 x 24.3cm
84 pages
ISBN 978-1-913620-12-7
Originally published in 1985, Paul Graham's celebrated "Beyond Caring" series was made in the waiting rooms and corridors of the UK's social security and unemployment offices, documenting the long waits, queues and poor conditions of an overburdened system, to produce a series of powerful photographs that convey the hardships faced by people. Not having received official permission to produce the work, Graham took his photographs discreetly, usually without looking at the camera, resulting in a spatial disorientation that highlighted the plight of vulnerable citizens. The work shocked many on its release - leading Magnum photographers were outraged by the use of color in a classic documentary subject, while others celebrated the way it straddled the worlds of activism and art (it was exhibited at both the Union Conferences and the Museum of Modern Art in New York). Graham created a new form of engaged photography, blending elements of social documentary, "new color" and reportage to create a striking body of work that endures to this day. Several decades have passed since they were made in 1984, but these images have gained importance not only photographically, but also as a unique historical record of the unemployment crisis in the UK in the mid-1980s.
Published by Mackbooks, 2021
32.2 x 24.3cm
84 pages
ISBN 978-1-913620-12-7
