Bookstore Gallery Auctions Blog Editions VisualServer
 
BEST OF 2012
BEST OF 2011
BEST OF 2010
BEST OF 2009
BACK TO BLOG HOME f.a.q.mastheadinquiriesfeedbackadvertisenewsletter
back
back
My Dakota
view comments [5]
Reviewed by Tom Leininger, published on Monday, August 6, 2012
Font Size: T T T | print | email
Rebecca Norris Webb My Dakota
Photographs by Rebecca Norris Webb. Edited by Alex Webb. Text by Rebecca Norris Webb
Radius Books, , 2012. Hardbound. 112 pp., 42 color illustrations, 11-1/2x9-3/4".
My Dakota Photographs by Rebecca Norris Webb. Edited by Alex Webb. Text by Rebecca Norris Webb Published by Radius Books, 2012.
Do not think of this book as a chance to see Rebecca Norris Webb's home state of South Dakota. It is not. Think of it more as a visual journal on loss. Not loss for a time that has passed, but a more personal grief. Rebecca Norris Webb made a series of photographs where the landscape is loss, specifically, that of her brother who died suddenly. Norris Webb begins the book by saying it is an elegy for home. The tone is set from the start.

In the afterword Norris Webb wonders: "...does loss have its own geography?" Reading that statement after going through the book for the first time my answer is yes, but it is not on a map. She clearly found it. It is unique to her. It is out there through the layers of pain. It is a geography that is moving and changing. It is the geography of pain.
My Dakota, by Rebecca Norris Webb. Published by Radius Books, 2012.

The book is not wrapped in nostalgia. Its strength lies in the layered photographs where Norris Webb is looking for something in the distance, but what it is is not clear. It could be a memory. There is something between her and what is out there. Reflections and windows play an important role in layering the images with mystery and a sense of disconnectedness. Each photograph is open to interpretation and that room allows the reader to find their own memory of loss to complete it. The language of Norris Webb's photographs is personal, but universal.
My Dakota, by Rebecca Norris Webb. Published by Radius Books, 2012.

My Dakota, by Rebecca Norris Webb. Published by Radius Books, 2012.

As an object the book has an intimate feel to it. It is sized 11�x9�", which forces one to bring the book closer. South Dakota is a land of open spaces and that feeling is repeated in the book with the use of white space and blank pages. The photographs are given room to breathe, to let the pain have space. One of the strongest elements of the book is the use of Norris Webb's handwriting in pencil. It adds to the feeling of a journal. Her unique penmanship streams across pages connecting the pictures to her personal narrative. The handwriting and the photograph printed on the cover are extra details that set Radius Books apart from other publishers.
My Dakota, by Rebecca Norris Webb. Published by Radius Books, 2012.

Norris Webb sets the book up as an elegy for her brother. The sense of loss is palatable, but it feels like a love poem for the land and for her brother. It is a not a South Dakota that can be found on any map. It exists only in the book and comes through clearly. —Tom Leininger

purchase book
Tom Leininger is a photographer and educator based in North Texas. More of his work can be found on his website.
comments
No one has commented on this review yet, be the first to add a comment.
ADD A COMMENT


NOTE: Comments will not appear until they have been approved by our editors. Read more about our policy regarding comments.

One of our chief goals with photo-eye Magazine is to create a space where intelligent dialog about photography books can flourish. As such, we are excited about engaging directly with our readers and the larger online photo-community through interactive content such as these article comments. However, to best acheive an interesting, ongoing discourse, all comments will be published only after they have been vetted by the editors.

We will not edit anything that is posted, nor reject any comment because we disagree with it, we simply reserve the right to reject comments that we feel do not make a contribution or are designed to offend. All we ask is that comments are thoughtful and substantive.

Thank you.
* indicates a required field

Your Name/Pseudonym: *
please enter a name

Your Email: *
please enter an valid email addressplease enter an email address
This is for contact / verification only, your email will not be displayed or given out under any circumstances.

Your website:
must be a vaild URL (ex. http://www.yourwebsite.com)

Your Comment: *

please enter a comment

To help prevent auto-spamming
Please enter the text and/or numbers below, in order, left to right:
enter text from the image below



← Return to the Magazine front page
← Return to reviews
© photo-eye Magazine. This article is printed from photo-eye Magazine (http://www.photoeye.com/magazine/) and is intended for personal use. Please contact us if you would like permission to reprint this article for commercial or educational use. Text © by the author, all images © their respective owners. All rights reserved.
© PHOTO-EYE, LLC, 2022. All Rights Reserved Copyrights-Trademarks Privacy Policy Returns Policy Staff/Hours/Location 505.988.5152 info@photoeye.com