For this project Bieke Depoorter (b.1986) travelled extensively through the United States from 2010 to 2014. Depoorter recently joined the renowned photo agency Magnum as associate member. Just like with her earlier project in Russia, Ou Menya, Depoorter approached random strangers during her journey and asked them if she could couchsurf. Once she gained the hosts’ trust, she photographed them in their home environments.
I am about to call it a day is one long sequence of portraits of mostly the poorer section of American society. Occasionally it is interspersed with a picture of a snow-covered landscape or a shot of small-town America. Many of Depoorter’s subjects are photographed just before bedtime, and aside from a rare smile, apathy and despair rules. The people find themselves in close quarters, the wallpaper is peeling, a child is huddling close to a heater in search of warmth.
The book contains a brown cardboard cover, whereas the inside closely resembles a tear-off calendar. The design of the publication is courtesy of Dutch graphic design duo Mevis & Van Deursen. The book is published by Edition Patrick Frey.
Bieke Depoorter. I am about to call it a day. Edition Patrick Frey. ISBN 978-9492081247
This short book review was first published on www.foam.org
