Michael Snow: Almost Cover to Cover

by Martha Langford, A L Rees, Malcom Le Grice

Michael Snow is renowned as a pioneering filmmaker and conceptual artist, with a career spanning four decades. He is perhaps best known for Wavelength, one of the most influential experimental films ever made. This book traces threads running through Snow's practice from the 1960s to the present, from his early Walking Woman series to his most recant works. His primary concern with perception is evident in the wide range of media he has used throughout his career, form film, photography and installation to painting and audio work. Almost Cover to Cover plays on Snow's acclaimed artist book Cover to Cover, a section of which is reproduced here. A cult figure for many, this book will situate Snow's importance for contemporary art at a time of renewed interest in time-based work interdisciplinarity, narrative and film.

Genres: Art

128 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2000

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A facsimile reprint of an enjoyably disorienting book of photographs depicting Snow perform a series of mundane acts: opening a door, walking to his truck and pulling away, picking up and putting down a book from a coffee table. Each photograph has its twin in this narrative: one from behind and, from the same distance, one in front. (The photographers documenting Snow’s actions make no efforts to hide themselves.) But while flipping the pages, some of the photographs turn out to be photos of photos—and somebody’s hand holding the photos. At a couple of points the photos are turned upside down, and so must be the book to keep following the narrative. Thus, to go sequentially from cover to cover requires reading from left to right as well as right to left while turning the book. A highly recommended gem.