Eliane and JP Laffont, New York City, New York. June 25, 2013.
“There could never really be justice on stolen land,” said KRS-One. We’ve seen this story play out, over and over again, from Ferguson to Baltimore in less than a year’s time. America the free, America the brave, America the nation founded on slavery and genocide – America has always been, and may always be, a turbulent home to millions of members of its citizenry. But for those of us born into this country, we are like fish in water trying to describe what is wet. We cannot always perceive what we live within, so we are blessed when outsiders come, as they always do, and perceive our nation with fresh eyes.
Jean-Pierre Laffont, a man of French descent, was born in Algeria, raised in Morocco, and educated in Switzerland. He first came to the United States in the 1960s as a photojournalist. He traveled throughout the fifty states in search of the stories that spoke to his heart, stories that called out the injustice of the time, stories that spoke to the heroic nature of the common man. He never worked on assignment; rather, he assigned himself to cover the news that moved him to raise his camera, to pursue photography, and document the world.
The result of three decades exploring the country’s vast and complex history is gathered together in Photographer’s Paradise: Turbulent America 1960-1990 (Glitterati Incorporated). Weighing in at 392 pages, with 359 black-and-white and four-color photographs, the book includes personal essays written by Laffont, along with an introduction by Sir Harold Evans. Taken together, the stories reveal another America, one that is not immediately evident from the mass media depictions of the same old narratives.
Also: Richard Ross’ Portraits Of Young Women In The Penal System
In Laffont’s America, we see the brutality of systemic racism that made work of the Thirteenth Amendment’s legalization of slavery within the prison system, as well as the crushing poverty of both rural and urban Americas in the north and the south. We see the dark side of the American dream as capitalist forces profit off the mass incarceration of minorities, and are given insight into the rituals and practices of the nation’s oldest active terrorist organization, the Ku Klux Klan.
But we also witness the brilliant light of youth culture as it stands up for itself, standing against the traditions of the past. Laffont documented the early gay pride and women’s liberation movements of the early 1970s, revealing the rebellious spirit of a citizenry that continues to fight for and demand equal rights and equal protections for their life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Through Laffont’s lens we see the emergence of a brave new world, one that allows the youth to follow their dreams, for better or for worse. The result is a remarkable monograph that is a work of significant art history, revealing an astonishing breadth, detail, and scope as profound and compelling as the man who took the photographs himself.
All images from Photographer’s Paradise by Jean-Pierre Laffont, © 2014, published by Glitterati Incorporated.
Photographer's Paradise
-
Manhattan, New York City, NY. September 28th, 1972.
"Hands from behing the bars at Toms Prison.Standing on Center Street at Leonard Street, and was built in 1840 with granite from the old Bridewell Prison in City Hall."
From Photographer’s Paradise by Jean-Pierre Laffont, © 2014, published by Glitterati Incorporated.
-
Manhattan, New York City, NY. May, 1980.
"Prostitute leaning on cop's car on 42nd Street Times Square. Times Square had acquired a reputation as a dangerous neighborhood during the 1980's. The shabiness of the area, especially due its go-go bars, sex shops, and adult theaters, became an infamous symbol of the city's decline."
From Photographer’s Paradise by Jean-Pierre Laffont, © 2014, published by Glitterati Incorporated.
-
Dunham Springs, LA. December 1976.
"The members of Ku Klux Klan at a night ceremony which takes place ones a month; wearing white hoods and with the cross on fire. The local group consists of 50 members; half of which are women. The leader of the cell is Bill Wilkinson who is also the leader of The National Movement, going by the title of "Imerial Magician of the Invisible Empire of Horsemen of the KKK" The motto of the order is "Be vigilant to Protect the white race." After the night ceremony, the members get together for dinner, preceded by a prayer."
From Photographer’s Paradise by Jean-Pierre Laffont, © 2014, published by Glitterati Incorporated.
-
Manhattan, New York City, NY. 28 Jun 1970.
"Two men flip the bird to the gathering crowd in Central Park as the two lie on the ground and kiss for the kissing contest during New York's first Gay Pride celebration."
From Photographer’s Paradise by Jean-Pierre Laffont, © 2014, published by Glitterati Incorporated.
-
Detroit, MI. September 1980.
"America severely marked by the recession. Desserted streets downtown Detroit, in the city most severely struck by the economic depression. The landmark General Motor building seen in the background."
From Photographer’s Paradise by Jean-Pierre Laffont, © 2014, published by Glitterati Incorporated.
