Katherine Longly and Cécile Hupin – Just My Luck

Review by Douglas Stockdale •

Katherine Longly and Cécile Hupin have created a conceptual photojournalistic project; a series of interviews, quotes, screen grabs and reuse of photographs, repurposed to create a narrative that asks the question: If money cannot buy happiness, what drives people to participate in a lottery?

The book is design and sequenced in a documentary style. A series of graphic headlines are interspersed with black and white photographic images and narrative details of some one’s personal story related to the ups and downs of being involving in some aspect of playing the lotto. The photographs have a newspaper type graphic grittiness, that provides an unvarnished honesty to their stories. The narrative take away is that these must be facts and real events that have occurred, while I find myselft recalling similar headlines and other stories that support making this reporting seem feasible.

Longly and Hupin present a full range of human emotions that unexpected money, greed or missed opportunities can present itself over the years that the lotto has been available. Joy, laughter, contentment juxtaposition against the compelling short stories that include feelings of sadness, anger and disappointment. It is a roller coaster emotional ride as one transitions their way through this inch and half thick volume.

The relatively small size of the book, 4-3/4” x 6-1/4”, is perhaps a size that resembles many of the lotto tickets that are sold through out Europe, United Kingdom and the United States. The garish bright colors of the book covers, and inside lead-in as well as closing images are similar to the graphics of many the lotto tickets. These graphic splashes of color remind me of the wild and crazy colors emanating from many of the Las Vegas casinos, attempting to grab one’s attention in order to lure them into ‘easy’ times and personal fortune.

The indirect answer to their question, what drives people to participate in a lottery, may well be Hope. Perhaps it is easier and as much fun as visiting Las Vegas without the corresponding hassle, a fantasy game to be played as another form of casual entertainment while dreaming big as to the what-if potentials, not realizing the potential dark side of chasing their dream ‘big-win’. As stated by Longly and Hupin, “Their stories paint a picture of our society, our aspirations, our beliefs, and our relationship with money.”

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Other books by the Katherine Longly which have been previously published on PhotoBook Journal (PBJ) include: To Tell My Real Intentions, I Want to Eat Haze Like a Hermit and Hernie & Plume

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Douglas Stockdale is a visual artist, 2023 Critical Mass Finalist and Senior Editor & Founder, PhotoBook Journal

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Just My Luck, Katherine Longly, Cécile Hupin

Artists: Katherine Longly, born Arlon, Belgium, resides Brussels, Belgium and Cecile Hupin, born and resides in Brussels, Belgium.

Essay: Monique Pincon-Charlot

Text: English

Stiff covers, perfect bound, 544 pages, printed by Wilco Art Books (NL) with binding by Agia (NL) ISBN 978-94-92051-96-7

Photobook Designer: Carel Fransen

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Articles and photographs published in the PhotoBook Journal may not be reproduced without the permission of the PhotoBook Journal staff and the photographer(s). All images, texts, and designs are copyright of the authors and publishers.