PHOTOBOOTHS IN PRINT

Photobooth Collages

Liz Rideal (Circle Press, 1990)

This slim volume was published in conjunction with an exhibition of Rideal's work at the Photographers' Gallery in London in the fall of 1990. It features color and black and white photos of Rideal's work, both by itself and as seen in a gallery setting, and is accompanied by an essay by David Chandler. The essay begins with these lines:

Since 1985 the photobooth has been the cumbersome tool of Liz Rideal's art. Even at a time when the production of art has finally seeped out of its shell of convention, to be hardened and remoulded by technology, the photobooth seems an unlikely structure in which ideas are nurtured and 'creative acts' are carried out. Instead the photobooth seems to fit more appropriately into the well formed image of our advanced consumer society; part of the plastic and stainless steel clutter that surrounds our haunted passage through supermarkets, department stores and railway stations.

Chandler lauds Rideal's commitment to conceiving her work "in precisely that public domain where the photobooth normally resides."

In addition to Rideal's work and Chandler's essay, the book features a list of Rideal's shows, awards, and residencies, as well as the collections in which her work can be found. Rideal has been working since the late 1970s, and the book is a nice snapshot of her photobooth work up to 1990.

Contributed by Brian