Occupants
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- 20,99 €
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- 20,99 €
Publisher Description
For the past twenty-five years, Henry Rollins has searched out the most desolate corners of the Earth—from Iraq to Afghanistan, Thailand to Mali, and beyond—articulating his observations through music and words, on radio and television, and in magazines and books. Though he's known for the raw power of his expression, Rollins has shown that the greatest statements can be made with the simplest of acts: to just bear witness, to be present.
In Occupants, Rollins invites us to do the same. The book pairs Rollins's visceral full-color photographs—taken in Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Northern Ireland, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and elsewhere over the last few years—with writings that not only provide context and magnify the impact of the images but also lift them to the level of political commentary. Simply put, this book is a visual testimony of anger, suffering, and resilience. Occupants will help us realize what is so easy to miss when tragedy and terror become numbing, constant forces—the quieter, stronger forces of healing, solidarity, faith, and even joy.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Rollins writer, TV host, and front man of Black Flag and the Rollins Band provides mostly photos of oppressed, poor, and marginalized people in the developing world. Each portrait of suffering is accompanied by a mini-essay, sometimes an attempt to get "into the head" of each subject, sometimes Rollins's personal reaction. Rollins can express real empathy, but more often the text devolves into shallow analyses and trite prose ("The human story is not a new one"). Also, a real disconnect occasionally exists between a photo and Rollins's reaction to it; for example, a shot of a prince's palace in Saudi Arabia is accompanied by words describing an anxiety attack. Some of Rollins's photos are undeniably compelling, such as two of a supine man in Thailand dragging himself along a street but they are overwhelmed by the lackluster text.