Topography: the study of the shape and features of land surfaces

British photographer Stephen Clarke’s 1980s Southern Californian photos are the antithesis of the American dream, they are about voids, what’s not there, what’s missing – empty stadiums and parking lots, absent of people. They perfectly capture as he describes, his ‘concern with the representation of place this often relates to travel and engagement with Cultural Heritage. Stephen’s work explores the connections between photography, collage and graphic image-making, and is informed by his on-going discourse with several artists’.

Café Royal Books publishes limited edition Photobooks coveted by fans and collected by major institutions. The Zines focus on British documentary photography. Café Royal is run and founded by Craig Atkinson.

Craig explains ‘My aim is to create a focussed and complete archive of British documentary photography. I publish roughly 70 titles each year with a small edition ‘archive box’ every 100th title. These archive boxes are aimed at major collections, libraries and museums — helping to increase the visibility of the work and making the books publicly accessible for as long as possible. Collectors are wide and varied but include, MoMA NY, Harvard University, Oxford University, Cambridge University, The British Library, The Hyman Collection, Martin Parr Foundation, TATE, V&A / National Art Library’.

14cm x 20cm
b/w digital