In February 2009 I wrote, very briefly, about the first issue of Lay flat. Exactly one year later, and what do you know, issue two is due for publication! I caught up with Shane Lavalette, Publisher and Editor extraordinaire, to find out all about ‘Meta’.
WWB: Lay Flat 02: Meta is soon to be released! Congratulations on making it to the difficult “second album” so to speak. How does it feel?
SL: Thanks a lot! It feels great to be moving forward with a new book. Putting together Lay Flat 02: Meta with Guest Editor Michael Bühler-Rose has been an enjoyable process and an exciting collaboration. The book brings together the works of contemporary artists whose photographs are conceptually engaged with the history, process and conventions of the medium itself. Along with a diverse selection of work by over 25 artists from across the globe, we’ve included some writing and an interview to help provide some context for the images and raise some of the questions/concerns that surround them.
Second Sun #1, 2008 by Charles Benton (featured in “Lay Flat 02: Meta”)
WWB: How did working with Michael come about? I have been looking through his own work and it’s fantastic!
SL: For each edition of Lay Flat, I plan to work with a new Guest Editor. This process supports myself and the publication moving different directions, both in terms of content as well as the way in which each book is physically put together (in fact, I hope to produce editions that aren’t books at all!).
As it turns out, Michael went to the same school that I graduated from last Spring, but that’s not how we met. I met Michael a few years ago – not sure how exactly, we were just brought together through the photography community I think. His own work is really beautiful and complex and getting to know him made it even more interesting. I think our excitement about photography came through to each other early on and at some point the possibility of working together on Lay Flat 02 came up and it seemed like a good idea and a natural fit.
Practical Photography, 2006/08 by Torbjørn Rødland (featured in “Lay Flat 02: Meta”)
WWB: What stands out to you about this issue? What should we be excited to read/see?
SL: A number of the artists I admire greatly, so it’s a real pleasure to feature their work. But, as you might imagine, it’s nearly impossible to select favorites! There’s a lot to see! So, in regard to the images, I’d say to be excited to begin questioning what a photograph is. And in terms of the writing, there are some great essays by well-respected folks such as Lesley A. Martin (Publisher/Editor, Aperture Foundation) and Adam Bell (Co-editor, The Education of a Photographer) but we’re very excited to include a conversation between Lyle Rexer (Author, The Edge of Vision: The Rise of Abstraction in Photography) and an artist who is seminal to this dialogue, James Welling.
Hourglass, 2009 by Talia Chetrit (featured in “Lay Flat 02: Meta”)
WWB: You’ve doubled your print run from 1,000 to 2,000 – always a good sign. How was Lay Flat 01: Remain in Light received? Looking back, are you happy with it?
SL: The response to Lay Flat 01: Remain in Light was more positive than I could have ever predicted. The edition sold out through the website in a matter of months and just recently I was pleased to discover that the publication was featured in Photo-eye Magazine as one of the “Best Books of 2009.” So, looking back, I am very happy with the way it materialized and the response it received. I think the publication really represents the spirit of the photography community and, as I said, I hope it will evolve as photography does.
Towards Euphoria and Madness, 2009 by Noel Rodo-Vankeulen (featured in “Lay Flat 02: Meta”)
WWB: You’re stocked across the globe, established in a number of collections and pressing on with new spin off projects (artist books coming soon?). What is the trick? What would you say to those looking to get started with a zine/publication?
SL: I’m not sure there’s a trick. There are a lot of obstacles involved in making things happen (mostly financial, it seems), but if you’re passionate there are always ways around them. And if you’re making something you enjoy, it’s likely that others will too.
Yes, artist books coming soon! Look out!
Womans Legs, 2008 by Daniel Gordon (featured in “Lay Flat 02: Meta”)
WWB: So, where can we pick up a copy of Lay Flat 02: Meta?
SL: It will be available through www.layflat.org later this month and shipments will go out to select bookstores soon after that. For now, head to the website and sign up for the Newsletter to hear about the release.
Red Diamondback, 2006 by Roe Ethridge (featured in “Lay Flat 02: Meta”)
WWB: Apart from Lay Flat, what do you do? What has been catching your eyes and ears?
SL: Well, I’m a photographer myself so I have been working on various personal projects. A group exhibition titled “America Now” just opened at Montserrat Gallery in Beverly, MA. The show includes work by myself, Laura McPhee, Alec Soth, Zoe Strauss, Daniel Cheek and Ben Huff. I’m also happy to be included in “reGeneration2” – an exhibition opening this summer at the Musée de l’Elysée in Lausanne, Switzerland. In conjunction with the show, a book will be published by Thames & Hudson.
But aside from photography, I’m a music lover. Some things I’ve been listening to lately: The Velvet Underground, Neutral Milk Hotel, Don Caballero, Blonde Redhead, The Books, Juana Molina, Bonny ‘Prince’ Billy, Jackson C. Frank, Roscoe Holcomb, Leadbelly, Steffen Basho-Junghans, Thelonious Monk, Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Nina Simone, Django Reinhardt, Stephane Grapelli, Yo-Yo Ma, Chopin as well as a bunch old-time/folk compilations.
WWB: Thanks Shane. It’s inspiring to see how your passion for photography has spilled over into such a creative endeavour. Here’s looking forward to having Meta in my hand soon!
