Helga Härenstam & Anna Strand – The Exposed Eye

Review by Gerhard Clausing •

When two gifted photographers bounce ideas for personal assignments off of each other in a free-floating way, the results can sizzle. This is the situation we have in the present project. Anna Strand and Helga Härenstam gave each other nine different assignments each, to the tune of “Do something about …” The results are contained in this first volume, called The Exposed Eye, and give us many insights by way of words and images.

The very title of the book gives us an insight about the procedure. The word eye in English is also how the first person singular pronoun, I, is pronounced. Every photographer uses their eyes to create images. When the results are shown, the viewers are exposed to the photographer’s style and point of view. When we have two photographers who communicate with each other through reciprocal assignments, we can get two points of view and two styles that form a kind of yin and yang relationship, a kind of balance that provides us with an interesting assessment of contemporary life.

The topics covered range from history, travel, social interaction and everyday events all the way to self-assessment, particularly the role of aging, violence, and similar processes we all struggle with in our daily lives. The images presented, taken as a whole, evoke a certain sense of temporality, a descriptive/interpretive approach to our current time of confusion and change, expressed through images that are ambiguous and decidedly in-between. Gone are the days of decisive moments, where everything was clear and easy to interpret!

I’ve found it particularly fascinating to read each photographer’s thoughts as they accompany the pictures. Sometimes they also interviewed the person involved, such as the hunter who shoots moose. And at other times the photographers share their private thoughts and feelings, that allow us as readers/viewers to be part of the moments of their personal insights and their moments of image creation. An example of this would be thoughts and associations related to their own aging or potential demise. The themes they deal with are without a doubt universally applicable. I advise you to get a copy of the book and study the images and words in detail.

At the end of this photobook we found a card that invites the reader/viewer to submit their own assignment or assignments to complete the project. A gallery display and a second volume featuring some of these responses are also planned. This is a feature that first caught my attention, and I consider it a most valuable addition and contribution. The deadline was mid-February of this year, but I would hope that this feature will catch on and will be continued in the future, as it brings photography right back to the audience and calls for involvement that is a precious process: a completion and sharing of ideas and work that otherwise could otherwise remain unknown. Highly recommended!

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The PhotoBook Journal previously featured reviews of Helga Härenstam’s Three Years of Childhood during the Era of Extinction and Howling and Humans, and of Anna Strand’s Collecting I.

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Gerhard Clausing, Editor of the PhotoBook Journal, is an author and artist from Southern California.

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Helga Härenstam & Anna Strand – The Exposed Eye

Photographers: Helga Härenstam and Anna Strand (both live in Sweden)

Texts: Helga Härenstam and Anna Strand

Languages: Swedish and English (English edition reviewed)

Photobook Design: Matilda Plöjel

Paperback with cover images, open binding; 168 pages, unnumbered; 8.75 x 9.5 inches (17 x 24 cm); printing: By Wind, Ödeshög, Sweden; Swedish edition 600, English edition 300; ISBN 978-91-986244-9-6

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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 under copyright by the authors and publishers.