On Standby

There are numerous photobooks and series of photographs that document the ravages of time or the progress of ill health, be they testimonies of witnesses or self-portraits. But how does one convey by photographic means the feelings of helplessness and the sense of alienation from oneself and others generally experienced by hospital patients? This photobook constitutes such an attempt. It is about an intensely personal experience with which most people who have spent time ill in hospital will identify.

This work is informed by the need to preserve the confidentiality and privacy of patients and staff, the technical limitations of the iPhone 6 used, as well as the severely weakened state of the photographer herself.

Text, photographs and design by Mireille Ribière
21 x 20 cm, handmade concertina book, 14 folds, limited edition of 25 in wrappers.

EXHIBITIONS

— Encontros Da Imagem (17 September – 31 October 2021).
Galeria do Paço da UMinho, Braga, Portugal

— The 2nd Half: 50 and Over Show (1 – 31 July 2021)
Las Laguna Gallery, Laguna, California

— BABE 2021 | THE LOST WEEKEND (17 – 18 April 2021)
Artist’s Book Event at Arnolfini, Bristol, UK

— I t’s a New Day (2 March –18 April 2021)
Online exhibition hosted by Bower Ashton Library in collaboration with Arnolfini, Bristol, UK

— 11th Annual Self-Published Photobook Exhibition (December 2020–March 2021)
Davis Orton Gallery (Hudson, NY) and Griffin Museum of Photography (Winchester, MA)