9780714843902: Boring Postcards
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| SKU | 9780714843902 |
|---|---|
| Title | Boring Postcards |
| Author Description | Edited by Martin Parr |
| Uri | store/photography/boring-postcards-9780714843902/ |
| Web Author Description | The work of Martin Parr bridges the divide between art and documentary photography. His studies of the idiosyncrasies of mass culture and consumerism around the world, his innovative imagery and his prolific output have placed him firmly at the forefront of contemporary art. A member of the international photo agency Magnum, Parr is an avid collector of books and a world authority on the photobook. |
| webLongDescription | Martin Parr is a key figure in the world of photography and contemporary art. Some accuse him of cruelty, but many more appreciate the wit and irony with which he tackles such subjects as bad taste, food, the tourist, shopping and the foibles of the British. Parr has been collecting postcards for 20 years, and here is the cream of his collection - his boring postcards. With no introduction or commentary of any kind, Parr's boring postcards are reproduced straight. They are exactly what they say they are, namely boring picture postcards showing boring photographs of boring places, presumably for boring people to buy to send to their boring friends. All of them are shot in Britain, taking us on a boring tour of its motorways, ring roads, traffic interchanges, bus stations, pedestrian precincts, factories, housing estates, airports, caravan sites, convalescent homes and shopping centres. Some attempt to idealize their subjects, only to fail dismally. Others lack any apparent purpose or interest, but the resultant collection of photographic images is wholly compelling. Boring Postcards is multi-layered: a commentary on British architecture, social life and identity, a record of a folk photography which is today being appropriated by the most fashionable photographers (including Parr), an exercise in sublime minimalism and, above all, a richly comic photographic entertainment. |
| Binding | Paperback |
| Size | Size: 150 x 210 mm (6 x 8 1/4 in) |
| Pages | Pages: 176 |
| Illustrations | 120 |
JSON Data
{"authorDescription":"Edited by Martin Parr ","bookshot2d":null,"bookshot3d":null,"bookshot3dSquare":null,"categories":["store/photography/","store/photography/themes-a-z-by-title/"],"date":"2004-01-02 00:00:00","editionId":11280,"guid":"5C6B0377-00EB-439E-9952-C76D69E3F14A","images":[],"markets":{"AUD":{"discountPrice":null,"inventory_policy":"deny","price":"19.95","show":true},"CAD":{"discountPrice":null,"inventory_policy":"deny","price":"14.95","show":true},"EUR":{"discountPrice":null,"inventory_policy":"deny","price":"11.95","show":true},"GBP":{"discountPrice":null,"inventory_policy":"deny","price":"8.95","show":true},"TEST":{"discountPrice":null,"inventory_policy":"continue","price":"9.95","show":true},"USD":{"discountPrice":null,"inventory_policy":"deny","price":"12.95","show":true}},"preorder":false,"related":["9780714865669","9780714843902","9780714843919","9780714867380"],"sku":"9780714843902","source":"BOOKs","specifications":{"binding":"Paperback","colIlls":"120","extent":"176","language":"English","lenInch":"6","lenMm":"150","weightKilo":"0.42","widthInch":"8 1/4","widthMm":"210"},"status":true,"subtitle":" ","title":"Boring Postcards","uri":"store/photography/boring-postcards-9780714843902/","webAuthorDescription":"The work of Martin Parr bridges the divide between art and documentary photography. His studies of the idiosyncrasies of mass culture and consumerism around the world, his innovative imagery and his prolific output have placed him firmly at the forefront of contemporary art. A member of the international photo agency Magnum, Parr is an avid collector of books and a world authority on the photobook.","webDescription":"Boring Postcards by Martin Parr. Magnum photographer Martin Parr's fabled collection of British postcards. . Order online from the Phaidon Store.","webKeywords":"","webLongDescription":"\u003cp\u003eMartin Parr is a key figure in the world of photography and contemporary art. Some accuse him of cruelty, but many more appreciate the wit and irony with which he tackles such subjects as bad taste, food, the tourist, shopping and the foibles of the British. Parr has been collecting postcards for 20 years, and here is the cream of his collection - his boring postcards. With no introduction or commentary of any kind, Parr's boring postcards are reproduced straight. They are exactly what they say they are, namely boring picture postcards showing boring photographs of boring places, presumably for boring people to buy to send to their boring friends. All of them are shot in Britain, taking us on a boring tour of its motorways, ring roads, traffic interchanges, bus stations, pedestrian precincts, factories, housing estates, airports, caravan sites, convalescent homes and shopping centres. Some attempt to idealize their subjects, only to fail dismally. Others lack any apparent purpose or interest, but the resultant collection of photographic images is wholly compelling. \u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eBoring Postcards\u003c/i\u003e is multi-layered: a commentary on British architecture, social life and identity, a record of a folk photography which is today being appropriated by the most fashionable photographers (including Parr), an exercise in sublime minimalism and, above all, a richly comic photographic entertainment.\u003c/p\u003e","webReviews":"\u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;They are, in their boringness, strangely beautiful. They are funny, nostalgic, and utterly eccentric. Their banality fascinates. Actually, they're not boring at all.\u0026quot;\u0026#8212;\u003cem\u003eBig Issue\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;Far from dull, Parr's book is a strangely compelling commentary on post-war British architecture, social life and identity.\u0026quot;\u0026#8212;\u003cem\u003eIndependent on Sunday\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;Exquisitely tedious visual gems.\u0026quot;\u0026#8212;\u003cem\u003eWorld of Interiors\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;The funniest book [of the year] has been \u003cem\u003eBoring Postcards\u003c/em\u003e by Martin Parr, which I keep on the kitchen table and chortle over during breakfast. This sends my cornflakes flying.\u0026quot;\u0026#8212;\u003cem\u003eCharlotte Cory, Independent\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;Brilliant.\u0026quot;\u0026#8212;\u003cem\u003eEvening Standard\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;Individually, the cards are a kitsch hoot; collectively, they re-create not only the appearance but the spirit and soul of a Britain that vanished for ever somewhere around the 1970s\u0026#8230; Parr\u0026#8217;s 'boring postcards' give meaning to a wistful phrase much beloved of recent prime ministers. They show the last time Britain really was, for better or worse, a nation at ease with itself. Look back and mourn.\u0026quot;\u0026#8212;\u003cem\u003eThe Sunday Times\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;Martin Parr\u0026#8217;s daringly dull collection of 160 coma-inducing postcards from the edge of common sense. Yes, they\u0026#8217;re funny. But they also reveal a view of the UK in the period from the '50s to the '70s, when road-building and fast development looked like signs of a healthy future.\u0026quot;\u0026#8212;\u003cem\u003eTime Out\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;Individually each of the postcards more than meet the requirements of the book\u0026#8217;s title \u0026#8211; yes, these are ludicrously boring places \u0026#8211; but as whole they make a compelling collection.\u0026quot;\u0026#8212;\u003cem\u003eDazed \u0026amp; Confused\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;Compelling, humourous and highly entertaining...\u0026quot;\u0026#8212;\u003cem\u003eDudley \u0026amp; District Chronicle\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;Masterpiece of mundaneness...\u0026quot;\u0026#8212;\u003cem\u003eCumberland Evening News \u0026amp; Star\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;Excruciatingly bland...\u0026quot;\u0026#8212;\u003cem\u003eBBC Top Gea\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;Groovy, baby.\u0026quot;\u0026#8212;\u003cem\u003eTime\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;A boring magical mystery tour round the British Isles... Already influential as a record of British social history, the collection of postcards has been bequeathed by Martin Parr to the Victoria and Albert Museum.'\u0026quot;\u0026#8212;\u003cem\u003eKent Messenger\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;A fascinating insight into the weird and wonderful world of wish your were where \u0026#8211; and you can guarantee it won\u0026#8217;t be here... Intriguing... \u0026quot;\u0026#8212;\u003cem\u003eCity Life, Manchester\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;Top of the class... Its blend of pathos and bathos is hilarious. It fills the onlooker with Christmas spirit: that\u0026#8217;s to say, nostalgia, revulsion, hysteria and delight.\u0026quot;\u0026#8212;\u003cem\u003eEvening Standard\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003eI have become obsessed with a book called \u003cem\u003eBoring Postcards\u003c/em\u003e \u0026#8230; there is nothing boring about the hundred or so postcards taken from the collection of Martin Parr. The captions alone make fabulous reading\u0026#8230; \u0026quot;\u0026#8212;\u003cem\u003eBuilding Design\u003c/em\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;\u003cem\u003eBoring Postcards \u003c/em\u003ehas itself become collectable. The first edition sold out within weeks and the reprint has now also sold out... Silly and poignant.\u0026quot;\u0026#8212;\u003cem\u003eTribune\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;For Proust, it was madeleines. For some of us, it might be these wonderful images from Martin Parr\u0026#8217;s \u003cem\u003eBoring Postcards\u003c/em\u003e\u0026#8230; A richly comic journey... A quirky set of glimpses into different worlds that prove, cumulatively, strangely touching.\u0026quot;\u0026#8212;\u003cem\u003eIndependent\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;Strangely compelling\u0026#8230; A little slice of history.\u0026quot;\u0026#8212;\u003cem\u003eOK!\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;Does exactly what it says on the tin.\u0026quot;\u0026#8212;\u003cem\u003eRomsey Advertiser\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","webShortDescription":"Magnum photographer Martin Parr's fabled collection of British postcards. "}