Another photograph from the project shows Phoenix actually on display, surrounded by other books. Primus inter pares – first among equals. Why first? Not only has it risen from the ashes, it has also witnessed its own demise.
Other documentary photographs show the author driving a car, walking onto a beach, building a bonfire and placing the book onto it. Once more, the Phoenix returns to ash and disappears. The final photograph in the series turns out to be the same as the first.
In this work, Grospierre questions our faith in images and historical sources. He shows us how easily photographs can be used as evidence, imprints or souvenirs of times past, and how simply one can fall under their spell, swayed by the immediacy of their message. How easy it is to believe in proof that relies on dubious sources. Photography may only be considered a historical testimony when its apparent clarity or transparency is placed in a cultural context.
Originally written in Polish, translated by MB, Nov 2018