BY STEVE BISSON
I recently received the self published zine TRÁNSITO by Spanish photographer, designer and blogger Andrés Medina. I like to get these limited editions, numbered and signed by hand. They retain a human taste, which reminds me of old letters.
In the case of Andrés, with whom I exchange messages - for some years now, without ever having seen each other - this gesture has a special meaning. I have been following with interest his visual research for a while and recently his long-term project “Río”. A work of great interest. The reasons are all in the words of Andrés:
«“Río” started from the need to photograph the unconnected, strange and secluded places that are the surroundings of a river nearby Madrid, a big city. An intimate search having the landscape as a mirror of the human traces within a (suposedly) untouched environment.»
His new edition, available form here, appears to bind to this research, yet it goes further. In this sense it is a valuable document to appreciate an evolution in the perception of his own work, and the desire to experiment.
All this is also an invitation to reflect on the large debate on the production of photobooks. It is true: in recent years we have seen a huge proliferation of independent productions sometimes of poor quality, with horrible graphics, and miserably printed.
However, I believe that this movement is healthy. Dealing with a book from A to Z is a critical exercise for any photographer. It helps to develop critical skills, to view images in a different way, and to integrate other languages. The book can be read as a meta project. Therefore I find this new editorial wave to be positive, and rich of stories, signs, possible landscapes. Somehow it is a snapshot of the contemporary.