Out of Place is a photographic essay that provides insight in the psychological journey of street life in modern megacities. At the rise of the “Urban Millennium” Bas Losekoot embarked on a visual exploration, considering how population density affects human behaviour. While placing his camera in the liminal spaces of the city, he addresses the state of in-between-ness of the modern urban experience. With an intuitive eye, he observes the “presentation of self” and “micro-second meetings” of everyday urban encounters. By adding drama to the trivial, Losekoot is painting the theatre of the real life, where small gestures become dramatic events.
The book includes photography from the cities of New York, São Paulo, Seoul, Mumbai, Hong Kong, London, Lagos, Istanbul, and Mexico City. Renowned photobook designer Teun van der Heijden translated the project into an extraordinary book. The design emphasises the cinematic quality of the photographic series. It is structured with different page formats and positions, that mimics the stratification of life in modern megacities.
Hardcover with dustjacket
Dimensions 24 x 29 x 1.8 cm
144 pages, 59 Photographs
Language: English
Price: Euro 40,00 / GBP 34.00 / USD 45.00
First print run 900 copies
Published January 2021.
ISBN 978-3-86828-994-7
Out of Place is sold out!
Recent Press:
The Guardian: Alone in a crowd:is it time to rethink the City?
Volkskrant: Aleen tussen miljoenen anderen: de stadse blik van Bas Losekoot
LFI Magzine: Book of the Month
The texts are remarkable contributions to the photographic series. The foreword is written by design and architecture critic Hugo Macdonald. He delivered a beautiful essay named “The paradox of Living in the City” in which he eloquently raises the question: What does it mean to be human in the city?
“Living in cities is to accept a life of paradox. We are physically squashed but emotionally distant. We are sick of people, but we are achingly lonely. (…)This is all to see in Losekoot’s faces, which reveal this paradoxical state with such disarming precision. The calm and the chaos, the beauty and the terror, the comedy and the tragedy, the depths of a soul from an urban life captured in a single frame.” – Hugo Macdonald
Along the photographic series you will find three mini film scripts written by film producer, scriptwriter and thriller author Kasper van Beek. I kindly invited him to write one page of film script based on a photograph of the project, or a character appearing in that specific photograph. Kasper, specialised in strong plot turns, wrote three intriguing pieces that place you straight into the mind of the protagonists.
As an epilogue, I had a very interesting conversation with sociologist, urbanist, photographer and filmmaker Paul Halliday. We discussed the main themes of the project relating to sociology, anthropology and environmental psychology, such as: rhythm, proximity and mobilities. As well as feelings that we all recognize when we enter the public domain, such alienation, isolation and loneliness. Furthermore, we touched upon some peculiar concepts as “forensic illumination” and “truth of light” in relation to urban photography and cinema. Paul shared some very interesting ideas on the “decisive moment” and photography actually being a four-dimensional medium.
Photography: Bas Losekoot
Design: Teun van der Heijden/Heijdens Karwei
Essay: Hugo Macdonald
Screenplays: Kasper van Beek
Conversation: Paul Halliday
Quote: Ruby Goldberg/The New Yorker
UK Copy Editing: Jason Coburn
US Copy Editing: Morgan Tucker
Proofreading: Sandra Huber
Colour Corrections: Fotolab Amsterdam
Image Processing: Patrick Horn/Kehrer Design
Printing: Schleunung Marktheidenfeld
Binding: Patist Den Dolder
Production Management: Tom Streicher/Kehrer Design
Project Management: Sylvia Ballhause /Kehrer Verlag
Publisher: Klaus Kehrer/ Kehrer Verlag Heidelberg
Download Press Kit HERE
Reference: Losekoot, B. (2021) Out of Place. Heidelberg: Kehrer Verlag.
Work in Process – Updates:
Last months I have worked extensively together with designer Teun van der Heijden/Heijdens Karwei and image processor Patrick Horn/Kehrer Design on colour corrections in order to make the so called “wet-proofs”. We adjusted all images to prepare them for the high-quality paper “GardaPat”. We carefully checked every image to achieve the best print quality we could imagine. Then, to check the binding, a so called “blind-dummy” was made. In preparation for the printing a “form-plot” was printed, to organise all printing plates for the heidelberg speedmaster press. It was great to work together with these professionals and the result sure is going to incredible!
Out of Place the book is on its way! Recently I was at press, together with colour specialist Patrick Horn from Kehrer Verlag in Heidelberg Germany. It was great to see the book being printed on the legendary Heidelberg Speedmaster. The next day all printsheets were checked by Klaus Kehrer himself, at the Kehrer Verlag Office.
