Whatever You Say, Say Nothing by Gilles Peress. Published by Steidl.
Several excellent books were published this year, but nothing comes close to Gilles Peress’ monumental 2,000-page, 14kg, three-volume masterpiece.
When, twenty years ago, I joined Magnum as a nominee, I would hear reverential murmurs about Gilles’ work in Northern Ireland, made in the 1970s and 80s. But apart from images of Bloody Sunday (which were used in the Saville Inquiry; part of Peress's testament is reproduced in the book) it was virtually impossible to see the pictures anywhere. In fact, it wasn’t until Strange and Familiar — Britain as Revealed by International Photographers was shown at the Barbican, London, in 2016, that I saw anything in print form... in this case a small sequence called The Prods.
The book we’ve been waiting for for so long is hugely ambitious, historically significant and photographically sublime. It begins and ends with the same picture — a flock of birds flanked by trees — except one (it’s difficult to know which) is printed upside-down. Further images of the picturesque Northern Irish countryside follow (or precede) before violence begins to dominate. But in this self-proclaimed work of ‘documentary fiction’ we get the sense of many things happening at once, as Peress attempts to 'describe everything' in these cyclical, seemingly endless Groundhog days/months/years of repetition: beauty pageants, bowls and beer; fancy dress, fairgrounds and fox hunting; weddings, hairdressers, dogs, cats, queues, sunbathing and snogging. And children everywhere, playing innocently among the ruins.
There are so many remarkable and enduring images within the book(s), but there are perhaps three that stay with me: The first is a small, upright picture of a woman in curlers proudly polishing her front step, an image of domestic ordinariness shining out of the chaos. The other two pictures somberly echo each other... both show single figures tied to posts, the first (in Volume One) a man, who might well be an informant awaiting punishment, the second (in Volume Two) a woman, possibly a bride-to-be after a hen night.
Over 3,700 people lost their lives during the Troubles, over half of them civilians, and Whatever You Say, Say Nothing is dedicated to the victims of the conflict and their families. In spite of the book's high price I hope some will get to see it.
Mark Power. Photographer and Magnum member.
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magnumphotos.com
@marktpower