Shane Lavalette, Picturing the South

From it's beginnings in 2010 photographer Shane Lavalette is now at the book dummy stage of his new book-work Picturing the South. In order to move the project forward Shane is looking for support via the crowd funding site KICKSTARTER. Already after a week the project is over 30% funded, which is great! This is a superb, heartfelt body of work and deserves to be out there and deserves support. You can go to Shane's KICKSTARTER page HERE.

Lavalette says this about the work. In 2010 I was commissioned by the High Museum of Art in Atlanta to create a new body of photographs for their "Picturing the South" series, which includes past artists Sally Mann, Emmet Gowin, Richard Misrach, Dawoud Bey, Alex Webb and Alec Soth. I'm honored to be amongst these artists, and look forward to exhibiting new work with photographers Martin Parr and Kael Alford in June of 2012. Having grown up in the Northeast, it was primarily through traditional music—old time, blues, gospel, etc., that I had formed a relationship with the South. With that in mind, the region's rich musical history became the natural entry point for my work. I was not interested in making a documentary about Southern music today, but desired to explore the relationship between traditional music and the contemporary landscape through a more poetic lens. Moved by the themes and stories past down in songs, I let the music itself carry the pictures. Two years later, with the project now complete, I have begun working on a mock-up of a book which I believe is the ideal venue for this body of work. From the beginning I imagined this project in book form. With your help, I hope to make this book physical in the coming months. 

 Shane Lavalette is a photographer, the Publisher and Editor of Lay Flat, as well as the Associate Director of Light Work.  Lavalette currently lives and works in Upstate New York. Kaylen Swinging, Louisiana, 2010

Kaylen Swinging, Louisiana, 2010