The Terrible Boredom of Paradise

by Derek Henderson

120 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2005

Reviews

[Keen Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

HARDBACK EDITION!

I have to say, what a great title!

Robin Morrison meets Grahame Sydney in this intriguing collection of Kiwi landscapes. This is another collection which captures those forgotten little nooks and crannies, the spaces between which join those supposedly bigger places and spaces. But as the cliché goes…sometimes the journey is really more worthwhile and memorable than the destination.

One issue with this, and its more to do with the text and layout, is that I’m really not a fan of the essay or explanation being so far removed from the image itself, so that’s it difficult to see them both together, which is very frustrating.

Henderson does a fine job of elevating the mundane into something far beyond the sum of its parts. At times this has a post-apocalyptic feel, like a spell has been cast across the country. He makes it look so easy, but it requires time and skill to create so many authentic and realistic perspectives.

What really comes through strongly for me is the sense of light, space and isolation. These often give the impression of a road movie, ghost town tour at the end of the world, but in reality they are more about twilight moments stolen in between bigger or louder moments. Overall I think there’s a freshness and brightness which endures around these pictures and they offer up an engaging, relatable and memorable version of NZ.