LDN by Anthony Cairns (Signed and numbered #49/100)

Archive of Modern Conflict, 2010 First edition of 100 signed and numbered copies, 52 pp., 8 1/4" X 11 3/4", Handmade Softcover

Fine (Signed and numbered)

The photographs for Cairns’ LDN were taken in London between 2008 and 2010 as black and white reversal transparencies. They show the city in twilight, a shadowy place of subway silence reminiscent of the world of Eraserhead. It is the vision of a city unsuccessfully trying to throw light into the dark corners where people might hide, creating an atmosphere of tension.

The images, printed onto tracing paper, allow for occasional splashes of illumination, as hidden patches of spray paint burn through from the page behind. The photographs are both specific – with the exact location and subject divulged in an index – and general, in some instances being little more than a collection of geometric lines.

LDN takes advantage of the possibilities and opportunities offered by a handmade book. A subtle grading of Japanese papers range in colour from avocado to aubergine to soft black and move from heavy through to a silky, almost rubberised finish.

This is the handmade first edition of 100 signed and numbered copies (this being #49) not to be confused with the 2013 second trade edition.