Paul Fusco: RFK
Paul Fusco’s collection of RFK is a showing of around 150 photographs showcasing death, grieving, and moving forward. The layout of this book is incredibly powerful, alongside each induvial image, quote, and combination of the two. The book begins by sharing photographs of similar (near identical) compositions of a black and white person mourning over death. Given the time, showcasing the equal mourning of “opposite” races is an incredibly influential and different idea, and an amazing way to share a sense of commonality between something that society says should be separated.
As the book progresses we begin to see the movement of the train as RFK’s body was more than likely moved (I don’t know the entire history behind it), and the use of blur and pan shots help us as the viewer to feel the urgency and sense of loss from the people surrounding said train.
Occasionally, we see a page that has an image on the left and right, and when these are paired together we get to see a more “holistic” scenario. When he does this we can assume that he wants us to feel multiple emotions when seeing the images due to how far apart yet similar they are. The feel of unison was also meant to (in my opinion) have people realize that everyone is the same regardless of the difference in skin tone.
A sense of solemnness occurs as well the farther in the book you get, simply due to the fact that each picture feels like it gets reused over and over again. Every image is unique, but the layout of each sector makes us feel as if we’re walking through the section ourselves.
Occasionally, the images also have full sized quotes on the opposing pages, which gives an even more powerful meaning to them.
Taking a step back, I think the layout of this book is done incredibly well, with an incredibly strong selection of images. As you progress through the book you get a sense of what is happening whether you’re familiar with the historical presence and importance of RFK, especially with the quotations that are paired with images, and the images that are on both sides of the booklet.
The execution made his intentions very clear, to share the social impact RFK had on the United States. The feeling of solidarity and togetherness that the United States had during his passing is one that will only be felt a few times throughout history.
The style of imagery here is also incredibly well executed- with colors that really push contrast between skin tones and the surroundings, whether that be nature, industrial structures, or transit; we feel as if we are in the location with the subject. This is also due to perfect framing and composition that allow us to feel this way. The entire project as a whole from quote to quote, image to image, page to page feels purposeful without a piece of wasted space.
As the book progresses we begin to see the movement of the train as RFK’s body was more than likely moved (I don’t know the entire history behind it), and the use of blur and pan shots help us as the viewer to feel the urgency and sense of loss from the people surrounding said train.
Occasionally, we see a page that has an image on the left and right, and when these are paired together we get to see a more “holistic” scenario. When he does this we can assume that he wants us to feel multiple emotions when seeing the images due to how far apart yet similar they are. The feel of unison was also meant to (in my opinion) have people realize that everyone is the same regardless of the difference in skin tone.
A sense of solemnness occurs as well the farther in the book you get, simply due to the fact that each picture feels like it gets reused over and over again. Every image is unique, but the layout of each sector makes us feel as if we’re walking through the section ourselves.
Occasionally, the images also have full sized quotes on the opposing pages, which gives an even more powerful meaning to them.
Taking a step back, I think the layout of this book is done incredibly well, with an incredibly strong selection of images. As you progress through the book you get a sense of what is happening whether you’re familiar with the historical presence and importance of RFK, especially with the quotations that are paired with images, and the images that are on both sides of the booklet.
The execution made his intentions very clear, to share the social impact RFK had on the United States. The feeling of solidarity and togetherness that the United States had during his passing is one that will only be felt a few times throughout history.
The style of imagery here is also incredibly well executed- with colors that really push contrast between skin tones and the surroundings, whether that be nature, industrial structures, or transit; we feel as if we are in the location with the subject. This is also due to perfect framing and composition that allow us to feel this way. The entire project as a whole from quote to quote, image to image, page to page feels purposeful without a piece of wasted space.
You can find featured images from this collection here.