During a luncheon date with one of my dearest friends, (and I must add, one of my cat’s dearest friends), Anne-Adele Wight, she was describing her new to be published book of poetry. I asked her if she needed an image for the book cover. Even though my fine art photographs have been used for book covers in the past, I never had the opportunity to create one expressing a specific theme.The Book, An Internet of Containment, uses surrealist poetry to tell a story of post-human evolution. Earth has become uninhabitable as we struggle not only to find a new home but to rewrite our genetic code.
Anne-Adele’s concept of the cover included the use of four bowls; bowls being a running theme throughout the book. She wanted the bowls photographed in a desert like setting that implied or conveyed natural elements.
For the next several days I thought about what kind of background would convey her vision as well as incorporate the colors and textures of the bowls.
Then an old idea for a photograph that has texture, color and pattern, and that I have always loved and wanted to photograph emerged: the old concrete squares of sidewalks. I say old because new concrete is grey and bland. With the bowls in mind I walked around Rittenhouse Square and surrounding neighborhoods until I found several that I thought would work. Anadele also sent me several locations of squares that she found. After spending an afternoon examining our finds, spraying water on each to enrich the colors, we decided on one that was perfect in tone color compatibility and texture.
We then met the next day to take the photograph. Anne-Adele placed the bowls precisely as she imagined them. We sprayed the background and I tok the photograph.
We sent the publisher, BlazeVox in press: blazevox.org, the files which he loved. He designed 8 different covers. Anne-Adele and I both choose the same one as our favorite.
I am proud to be part of such a fine project, and friends with such a talented visionary and poet, Anne-Adele.
Armond Scavo