Christopher John Ball Fine Arts Photographer and Writer

Linger by Viggo Mortensen.

Published by Perceval Press. 2005. ISBN: 0-9774869-3-1

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Linger by Viggo Mortensen - Published by Perceval Press. 2005. ISBN: 0-9774869-3-1 Viggo Mortensen was born in 1958, in the United States, and is, as many will know, an acclaimed, award winning, actor famous for his role asLinger by Viggo Mortensen. Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and for several collaborations with director David Cronenberg. What many may not know is that Mortensen is a gifted photographer, painter and poet. Mortensen is also a champion of the arts through his publishing company Perceval Press. Perceval Press was set up in 2002 by Pilar Perez and Mortensen with the aim of distributing, to a wider audience, high quality publications of photography, art, critical writing and poetry by artists who 'otherwise have gone unnoticed and to do so without compromise while keeping prices as low as possible'. Each publication is supervised by Mortensen himself to an exacting standard 'I go over all the books with a fine-tooth comb before they go out.'

The monograph 'Linger' is available in both soft cover and hard cover. I am reviewing the hard cover version. Within its 104 pages theLinger by Viggo Mortensen. viewer will find a series of monochrome photographs and text by Mortensen. The photographs are reproduced, to a very high standard, on good quality, heavy weight paper. The text takes the form of both poetry and a series of short essays. The book and its author challenge us to look directly at loss, bereavement, change and renewal. We often rely upon photographs to aid and prompt our memories, 'tools' to be used to help 'fill in the blanks' as time and distance from the 'event' or 'place' being 'remembered' pollute and invade. 'Linger' challenges our memories and our use of photographs as aids to recollection.

Linger by Viggo Mortensen.Linger by Viggo Mortensen.Many of the photographs within the pages of 'Linger' are deliberately 'out of focus' or 'blurred' which only furthers their appeal. Frequent use is made of the open shutter to create temporal patterns. Some images give the appearance of having been shot through tubes and pipes. Many are sharp centrally but play with vignettes and 'fall off' of focus at the edges, reminding one of the imagery produced by 'toy cameras' such as the Holga and Diana. Other images 'appear' to be created via multiple exposures. Whatever technique is employed, the resultant imagery draws the viewer in, reminding us that our own memory and our perception of past events are equally 'out of focus'. There is a frailty to memory that is, despite its flaws, beautiful and this is reflected within the images found within this book.

The photographs Mortensen creates encourage us not to fear 'loss' but to 'embrace' it. Where 'detail' is lost we find a welcoming and reassuring emotional response in its place. This beautiful book contains a body of work that, like memories, seduces us into making repeated return visits, where we are encouraged to 'Linger' for a while. It is a monograph that I can highly recommend to you.

Whilst 'Linger' is published through his own label, this is no vanity publication created to soothe the ego and pretensions of an actor. Mortensen is a serious artist who produces imagery that is beautiful, compelling and authentic. His artworks stand apart from his more well known acting accomplishments and would demand to be taken just as seriously even if he did not have the big screen name baggage attached.

Review by Christopher John Ball

*****Rating

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If you have a photography related book you would like reviewing, including self-published material, email details to chris@cjballphotography.co.uk and I will happily consider doing so. The review will be hosted, free of charge, on this website and posted via Twitter and Facebook. All I ask in return is that a link be placed on your own site to the review on this website and, if used in any promotional material, I am credited as Christopher John Ball.

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