When I first flipped through the pages of RJ Shaughnessy�s book Deathcamp, I felt an immediate familiarity with the images that I couldn�t quite put my finger on. Was it the nature of the images themselves? Photographs of relatively self-destructive behavior have been popular for the last few decades, so what ultimately separates these images from those of Jonnie Craig, Larry Clark, or Dash Snow? Or could it be that these photographs felt eerily parallel to my own experience of attending art school? (Certainly the cause of my initial pretentiousness.) Either way, I had an instantaneous hangover just from the sight of these images, and it took several looks to intellectually understand the significance of Shaughnessy�s work.



Deathcamp was the name given to the house Shaughnessy lived at between the years of 2002 to 2006, all the while attending school at the Arts Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. The residents of Deathcamp considered the living space as more of an art collective than as a formal residence, and if the term art collective sends your mind wandering to behaviors of the bizarre, then these photographs will reassure you� you have hit the nail directly on the head.



This being said, the brilliance of Shaughnessy�s images lies in his ability to edit a series of snapshots of normal college students, acting as� well� college students. This ability gives way to a sense of intimacy often diluted from other works of this nature. The recurrence of familiar faces and intimate moments allows for a feel that there was in fact a deep sense of community within the collective. The images meander from Deathcamp itself to local dive bars and street corners, allowing for a broader sense of space to filter through a complex living situation. And while the apparent ability of the photographer�s editing skills makes for a devoted and cohesive story, there is also the plain fact that there are a number of stunning stand-alone images intermittently woven thoughout Shaughnessy�s documentary.




So what is it that separates Shaughnessy from his predecessors? It ultimately isn�t his inherent editing abilities, but more so his unique thoughtful attention to the concept of community and an innate vision with his point and shoot camera. And while many of us voluntarily forget the behavioral patterns of our youth, Shaughnessy�s Deathcamp is a testament to a beautiful, if often bizarre, sense of humanity and community. —Antone Dolezal