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The title *P.North* does not refer to a place in the strictest sense of the word. Drawing on a series of photographs taken in rural areas of New Zealand and Australia, primarily in the 1980s and 1990s, Kathryn McCool’s debut book drifts between decades, places, people, and the less tangible dynamics that connect them.
Shopkeepers, young people, churchgoers, small children, and animals populate these photographs—the mundane landscapes and sleepy activities of small towns form a strangely charged backdrop. McCool’s unusual photographic style only adds to this intangible atmosphere. The shifting focal points, analog imperfections, and intrusions into the frame—whether a wandering arm, a shadow, or a balloon—evoke both tenderness and unease. In any case, these images carry a great deal of weight and presence. Almost every figure and composition demands a second look. What seems benign turns into unease; what is malevolent dissolves into innocence.
Reflecting on her own questions of memory, faith, perception, and encounter, McCool portrays her subjects with genuine dignity and humor. And that is where P.North finds her bearings. McCool explained that she found a kind of comfort in the intensity and awkward connection of the photographic exchange. By meeting the gaze of her subjects—as imperfect and complex as they are, and as we all are—she reveals an attempt to understand herself.
Published by Perimeter Editions 2023
18.5 x 22.5 cm
96 pages
ISBN 9781922545145
The title *P.North* does not refer to a place in the strictest sense of the word. Drawing on a series of photographs taken in rural areas of New Zealand and Australia, primarily in the 1980s and 1990s, Kathryn McCool’s debut book drifts between decades, places, people, and the less tangible dynamics that connect them.
Shopkeepers, young people, churchgoers, small children, and animals populate these photographs—the mundane landscapes and sleepy activities of small towns form a strangely charged backdrop. McCool’s unusual photographic style only adds to this intangible atmosphere. The shifting focal points, analog imperfections, and intrusions into the frame—whether a wandering arm, a shadow, or a balloon—evoke both tenderness and unease. In any case, these images carry a great deal of weight and presence. Almost every figure and composition demands a second look. What seems benign turns into unease; what is malevolent dissolves into innocence.
Reflecting on her own questions of memory, faith, perception, and encounter, McCool portrays her subjects with genuine dignity and humor. And that is where P.North finds her bearings. McCool explained that she found a kind of comfort in the intensity and awkward connection of the photographic exchange. By meeting the gaze of her subjects—as imperfect and complex as they are, and as we all are—she reveals an attempt to understand herself.
Published by Perimeter Editions 2023
18.5 x 22.5 cm
96 pages
ISBN 9781922545145
