I came across Delicious whilst looking in The Photographer’s Gallery’s bookshop as I was looking for some information and a little bit of inspiration on the Made You Look: Dandyism and Black Masculinity exhibition which I gave a Teen Tour. The book is a publication of Kristin-Lee Moolman’s collaborative work with footwear brand Eytys. The project showcases footwear from the brand in collaboration with stylist Gabrielle Kannemayer, who was said to work well with Moolman on a number of occasions by the co-founder of Eytys, Max Schiller.

 

Much like her other work, Moolman documents the South African youth subculture and looks to explore new ideas. Mailman states that the current political climate "does have an influence" within her current work, however, when we explore it we can clearly see that her pieces are individual in the way that she captures the essence of the South African youth through her choice in models and Kannemayer’s choice in design. Although the series is commissioned, she lets her freedom show by allowing for her models to feel more relaxed as if this is their own environment, thus allowing for more natural poses.

 

I like this publication because I feel as if the print really differentiates the series from digitalised images. By having the printed version of the images, we can feel and interact with the ways that the photographer intended the series or pictures to be seen. This can be shown by how big the images are presented or what materials or surfaces the pictures have been printed on. In this publication Delicious, we can physically feel each, glossy page as we turn to the next pages. The lustrous sheen of each page heightens the slight pink and pastel shades within the model’s clothes allowing for the photographers’ or designers’ visual intentions to be seen in the prints. Many of the portraits are placed next to an image of an object which complements the colours of the clothes the models wear. This intrigues me as it makes our eyes really drawn into and focus on the types of clothes they are wearing and their colours.

 

As a growing photographer myself, this publication makes me think about the way that images are presented, digitally and on the printed page. This is a highly important aspect of an artist or designers’ work as it is one of the aspects of the series which determines how the viewer perceives the image.

 

I think that this book is an amazing collection of fashion photography, so if you enjoy the different ways that certain designers and photographers like to push boundaries, I would definitely recommend this book to you.

 

– Brooke Tobie