“I see the world not as a series of stories… but as jumble of interconnected layers all vying for attention.”
Photographer Mark Power (b. 1959) has been documenting the US since 2012. He’s now releasing the third instalment of the Good Morning, America project – an ongoing series of five books exploring the nation’s cultural and physical landscape. When Power embarked on this series, he could not have predicted the seismic changes wrought by both politics and pandemic on America. This new book, the halfway point for the series, continues the visual chronicle – but under very different circumstances than when he began.
A: This is the third of five volumes exploring the US. What’s the story behind the project?
MP: Like many others, I’d wanted to explore America for a very long time. Whilst pondering on my childhood I thought about the cultural imperialism hoisted upon us British youth from the other side of the Atlantic, particularly in the form of TV shows. I had an obsession with westerns and so, when I finally had the time and (to a lesser extent) the money to travel through the States with my camera, my initial driving force was a search for an America which I knew in my heart had never existed at all.
Recently, whilst moving studios, I found a huge map of the USA that I bought as a teenager. It accompanied me through art school and I attached it to the wall of my various lodgings. Finding it was another reminder of how long this dream has been with me; finally, in my late 50s/early 60s, I’ve been able to fulfil it.
I lectured in Photography at the University of Brighton for 25 years, albeit part-time, and I’ve always had a particular interest in the history of American photography. Let’s face it, America is a much-photographed subject, and probably even more so during the Trump presidency, but I embrace this, happy to be part of this great photographic history.
A: This is the third of five volumes exploring the US. What’s the story behind the project?
MP: Like many others, I’d wanted to explore America for a very long time. Whilst pondering on my childhood I thought about the cultural imperialism hoisted upon us British youth from the other side of the Atlantic, particularly in the form of TV shows. I had an obsession with westerns and so, when I finally had the time and (to a lesser extent) the money to travel through the States with my camera, my initial driving force was a search for an America which I knew in my heart had never existed at all.
A: It’s been a turbulent decade – for America and beyond. What are the main cultural, political or ecological shifts you’ve captured?
MP: I began Good Morning, America in the autumn of 2012, just before Barack Obama was elected for his second term. The project, initially intended to cover a decade, will now – because of the pandemic – probably last even longer. Therefore, it also spans Donald Trump’s singular time in office, and is likely to finish some time before Joe Biden has completed his own term.
A: When and where were the images in Volume III taken?
MP: About half the pictures in Volume Three were made since the publication of Volume Two, firstly in the New England states of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, and followed by a separate trip to Arizona and New Mexico. My intention had been to return soon after the latter visit but this proved impossible because of the virus.
The rest consists of pictures from previous trips, not because I didn’t have enough new work, but because it’s always been my intention to continue to use pictures from the earlier days of the project. In short, all three volumes cover a sizeable span of time, and of course this increases with each subsequent book.
A: 2020 was a year of unprecedented change and uncertainty. How is this reflected in the book?
MP: There were only a dozen confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the US when I left in early February 2020. No one but the most soothsaying of scientists could have imagined what was to follow. I also missed the rise and rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. The book went to press before the Presidential election so I didn’t try to allude to that, but I certainly did think about everything else that has happened in the States since I was last there, and this is reflected in the editing and sequencing of the work. I’ve had to deal in metaphor rather than hard fact, but since I’m not a photojournalist I feel quite comfortable working in this way. All the pictures seemed to take on subtly (or sometimes blatantly) different meanings, so I worked with this. Of course, it’s not been ideal that I haven’t been able to return for almost a year, and I have no idea when I’ll be able to go again, but I believe the book was worth publishing when we did.
A: You must have a large selection of images to choose from! What is the process of editing and curating like?
MP: It’s always been my belief that making the pictures is the easy part. I’m a kind of collector, moving around the country amassing a number of pictures that feel right, even though I’m not always sure why. Trying to make sense of what I’ve done in retrospect is more difficult, but it’s a process I thoroughly enjoy. Volume Three was edited and sequenced during lockdown, when I had an unprecedented amount of time on my hands, and because of that it feels (at least for the time being) the most coherent of the three books so far.
That said, it’s important to understand that there are no specific themes dominating any of the books. Because Good Morning, America remains a work-in-progress (in other words, I haven’t finished yet) it would be impossible for me to make the books either thematic or, indeed, geographical. But this suits me, because I see the world not as a series of stories to be told but as jumble of interconnected layers all vying for attention, and I see my role as trying to make sense of that.
On a practical level this means making a wide edit on a screen, but then, most importantly, making small prints of the entirety of that edit. The rest of the editing is done with real prints laid out on a table or on the floor. It’s the only way I can work on sequencing effectively since it enables me to see all the work at once.
Good Morning, America (Volume III) is published by GOST Books. Find out more here.
Image Credits:
1. Hachita, New Mexico 01.2020 © Mark Power / Magnum Photos
2. Rumford, Maine 11.2019 © Mark Power / Magnum Photos
3. Biggs Junction, Oregon 02.2019 © Mark Power / Magnum Photos
4. Aftermath of the Tubbs Fire. Journey’s End Mobile Home Park, Santa Rosa, California 01.2018 © Mark Power / Magnum Photos
