Middle Ground – Fabrik Press box set edition published

The Middle Ground special edition box set is now released by Fabrik Press, part of Fabrik Media, the book’s publisher and is now officially published! As I discussed earlier, the box set development took a little bit longer than I had expected. Nevertheless it is now available for purchase, either from Photobooks International or directly from me.

Middle Ground box set at Photobooks International located within Fabrik Projects gallery, Los Angeles, CA

The edition of 25 from Fabrik Press includes a unique belly band for this special edition book; each belly band is different and truly unique as I am cutting up some exhibition prints to create each one. No two are alike. This limited edition book has the Fabrik Press branding printed on the spine, back cover and within the French-fold colophon. Each box set has a matched numbered print, an image selected by Fabrik Press for this edition, which is an archival pigment printing on Hahnemuhle rag that was completed by me.

Finally each of the artist books and prints are in a hand-assembled presentation box that has a made by me with a book nest that functions similar to a shadow box in how the artist book snugly fits into. Since the fit is kinda tight for the artist book I added a black pull ribbon to gentle raise the book out of the presentation box.

Artist statement: In the summer of 2016 I initiated a photographic investigation that considers the nature of barriers and walls. Walls are man-built constructs intended to provide segregation, safety and tranquility. My subject is a long stretch of a heavily vegetated medium planted to function as a visual barrier to separate the north and south bound lanes of the I-5 Freeway in North San Diego county. Ironically, this barrier is comprised of a series of beautiful year-long flowering Oleander bushes, a plant that is one of the deadliest on earth. 

My project was developed concurrently during a presidential election in which one candidate’s pledge was to build a massive and “bigley” wall on the Mexican-American border that will paid for by the country of Mexico. The Middle Ground artist-book is a leporello design that unfurls to the same length as a K-rail (Jersey Wall) used to construct the Freeway barrier. The photographs were sequenced to appear similar to the progress of the American Mile Markers on the Mexican-American border.

I am very excited to finish this phase of the Middle Ground project and co-launch this special edition box set in conjunction with Fabrik Press. I think it looks absolutely stunning, but I have to admit a slight bias.

Please let me know if there are any questions that I can answer for you.

Middle Ground was previously reviewed in the PhotoBook Journal by Gerhard Clausing; which can be found here.

Cheers!