uncommons

Rebecca Norris Webb’s book “The Glass Between Us” just arrived randomly in the mail after a backlog of several months. It’s a book I’ve been eagerly awaiting.

In her introduction, Norris Webb talks about her seven year “exploration of the complicated and vulnerable relationship that exists between people and animals in cities.” She mentions her history in South Dakota, her move to New York and, in a kind of face-value visual encapsulation of her project, how “the glass between [animals and humans at zoos] is a window, a wall, and a mirror.”

Camel, St. George, Utah. Photograph copyright Rebecca Norris Webb

Looking at the images and the presentation naturally indicates that her husband Alex had a heavy influence in her work (it’s obvious because she credits him for his “unswerving love, keen insights, tough edits, sense of humor, and unflagging support,”) yet the photography broadcasts its own altered style that favors a tender and respectful look that matures though the book. The whale photo (below) seems to be almost a starting point for the collection, and as the body of work evolves so does the photography. Compare the camel photo, or for a more striking comparison, the cover giraffe photo, and there definitely begins to appear a resounding difference between the two stylistically. Many pictures, only in the book, show a talented eye gravitating towards both complex and simple compositions while retaining a unifying theme. The “glass,” as it would be, takes on various cerebral forms, a product of smart vision and good intellectual photographic prowess. One of the photographs, a chimpanzee in a cradling form holding what appears to be a young girl as seen through a glass reflection, stands out as one of many wonderful examples.

Beluga Whale, Coney Island, 1998, Photograph copyright Rebecca Norris Webb

One of the hardest challenges for Rebecca must have been knowing when the right time was to end the project and compile the work. This is a collection that doesn’t expire or have a definitive end. In an interview at Behance, Norris Webb gives some thoughtful advice on the subject:

…As I was photographing in the Warsaw Zoo, I came across this crabby, grey-haired chimp who was very ill-tempered and agitated and for good reason — a group of school children were teasing him mercilessly. Later that day, however, I found myself unable to resist returning to the elderly chimp. When I walked into the dark ape house, I was startled by what I saw. A young Polish girl, who was squatting on a ledge not two feet from the chimp, was looking at him so intently, and with such love and awe in her eyes, that the old chimp closed his eyes as if finally at peace. The reflection I photographed in the glass mirrored their actual relationship: in the reflection it appears as if the grey-haired chimp is holding the lovely four-year-old girl in his arms. When I returned to New York and looked at the film, I knew the book was finally done.

This book let’s you choose — rapt attention or casual exploration. Either way, looking over the acknowledgment list in the final pages is like peering into a Magnum meeting. Everyone from Sam Abell to Paolo Pellegrin has helped on this book, and it shows. This is a beautiful collection of photographs. It’s well worth the $35.00 from Amazon complete with free shipping. The Blue Earth Alliance, which backed sponsorship of the book, and publisher Channel Photographics should be well pleased with the project.