Articles

Lisa McCord is a fine art and documentary photographer known for her evocative works inspired by her upbringing in the Arkansas Delta. This exclusive interview covers her journey into photography, starting with creative experiments in high school and studies at New York University. She shares insights into her prominent project Rotan Switch, which documents life on her grandparents' cotton farm and has been published as a book. The interview also discusses McCord's choice of black and white film, her favorite photographs, community reactions, and her future projects focused on personal storytelling. Read Article

Published in 2024 by Kehrer Verlag, Lisa McCord's monograph "Rotan Switch" is a 204-page cloth hardcover featuring 25 color and 55 tritone photographs. The work documents the Rotan farm in Arkansas, tracing McCord's family history and the Black farmworkers who lived and worked there from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. The book combines personal memoir with social history, revealing the complex power dynamics within a rural Southern community. Accompanied by essays and designed by Caleb Cain Marcus, the photobook presents candid and tender portraits while acknowledging the photographer's own privilege and family’s role in local social and economic structures. Read Article

Rotan Switch is the first monograph by Lisa McCord, documenting life on her grandparents’ cotton farm in the Arkansas Delta community of Rotan over 44 years. The project captures the complex intersections of industry, agriculture, race, and privilege within a predominantly Black community. Using analog photographs, family snapshots, Polaroids, and ephemera, McCord explores themes of identity, home, and social inequality as both participant and observer. The book thoughtfully addresses her complicated role as a white descendant of a landowner in this rural southern community. Read Article

Lisa McCord’s photobook "Rotan Switch" offers an immersive experience combining content, design, and emotion. The unique layout mimics a conversation, inviting readers into the life on her grandparents’ cotton farm in Rotan, Arkansas. Its unconventional structure uses large text blocks and interspersed images to tell a deeply personal story reflecting family life, labor, and racial dynamics in the Arkansas Delta. McCord’s photographs include both her own and found images, capturing moments of joy, struggle, and community in vivid detail. The book’s innovative design and compelling narrative create a dynamic dialogue between the author and reader. Read Article

Rotan Switch is an autobiographical photo book by Lisa McCord that documents life on her grandparents’ cotton farm in Rotan, Arkansas. Spanning 45 years from 1978 to 2021, it explores the rural South's socioeconomic and racial complexities through intimate images of five generations of a community. McCord, a white photographer and landowner's granddaughter, reflects on her own privilege and the intertwined histories of industry, agriculture, racism, and injustice in this unique place. The narrative unfolds like a family album or diary, inviting readers to engage deeply with its themes of connection, separation, and home. Read Article

“Rotan Switch” by Lisa McCord is a deeply personal photographic memoir that explores her hometown in Arkansas over more than forty years. The book blends social, geographic, and autobiographical narratives, documenting the complexities of race, class, and community through intimate black-and-white images. Unlike typical photo books, it is meant to be read like literature, presenting a compelling story that captures the nuances of life in a rural Southern town. The book combines family photography with broader social commentary, enriched by multiple voices reflecting on the shared history and context. Read Article

Some Worlds Have Two Suns is a photographic series by Andrew McConnell capturing the interaction between the Russian Soyuz spacecraft missions from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and the local communities. The images depict the arrival and departure of astronauts and cosmonauts alongside the everyday lives of villagers in remote grasslands, especially the people of Kenjebai-Samai. While initially focusing on space travelers, McConnell became interested in the local community’s unique relationship and indifference to the space events. The project reveals a landscape of isolated nomadic descendants living on the edge of new frontiers. Read Article

Irish photographer Andrew McConnell documents the unique intersection of space exploration and rural life in Kazakhstan's Ulytau Region. His work captures the arrivals and departures of Russian Soyuz spacecraft alongside the everyday lives of local villagers who live on the vast Kazakh Steppe. Despite the dramatic presence of space travel, the locals remain largely indifferent, creating a surreal coexistence between human ambition and routine existence. McConnell's images reveal both the harsh environment of the steppe and the symbolic relationship between astronauts and the community. Read Article

Paul McCartney’s book "1964: Eyes of the Storm" is a detailed exploration of the Beatles' pivotal year during their rise to international fame. Featuring nearly a thousand photographs taken by McCartney and others from late 1963 to early 1964, the collection highlights their tours from Liverpool to the United States, including their iconic Ed Sullivan Show performance. The book includes insightful commentary from McCartney on photography and personal memories, alongside a contextual essay by Jill Lepore that situates their fame within cultural history. This photobook offers a candid insider’s view of the Beatles’ journey through Beatlemania, capturing both intimate and historic moments. Read Article

Paul McCartney’s new book, "1964: Eyes of the Storm," showcases his personal photography capturing The Beatles during their explosive rise to fame from late 1963 through early 1964. The book features 275 largely unseen photos taken with McCartney’s 35mm camera across cities including Liverpool, London, Paris, New York, Washington, D.C., and Miami. Along with intimate images, McCartney provides reflections on the period he calls the "Eyes of the Storm," offering fans a unique insider’s perspective on Beatlemania. The book also includes an essay by historian Jill Lepore and is available in hardcover and Kindle editions. Read Article

Paul McCartney has announced a new photography book titled '1964: Eyes Of The Storm,' featuring 275 previously unseen photos taken by McCartney himself during the height of Beatlemania. The images capture the Beatles' rise to global fame in late 1963 and early 1964, including portraits of John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. The photographs were taken across six cities: Liverpool, London, Paris, New York, Washington, D.C., and Miami. The book also includes essays by notable historians and curators and is set for release on June 13 through Penguin. Read Article

The exhibition "Eyes of the Storm" at London's National Portrait Gallery showcases Paul McCartney's photographs taken between December 1963 and February 1964, a transformative period when The Beatles rose from local fame to global stardom. Featuring 250 backstage and off-duty images, the collection captures moments from their UK tour, performances in Paris's Olympia music hall, and their breakthrough in the US with appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show. McCartney's candid shots offer an intimate glimpse into the early days of Beatlemania and the cultural shift they inspired. Read Article