First overview
Flicking briefly through the pages of Raised By Wolves, I am instantly drawn to the design and layout of the photobook, With the book consisting of images, with recorded dialogue and hand written, grungy letters accompanying the images. from a first look, the book appears to be about the 90’s punk/grunge culture of the USA, with many images relating to street culture, depicting scenes such as raves, skateboarding and working class life.
Jim Goldberg
Jim Goldberg is an American Photographer whom focuses on exploring populations of people whom are deemed to be out of the view of the mainstream media/press. Examples of these such groups include those in poverty, the homeless and those associated to punk/ grunge culture, the main focus in Raised By Wolves.
Gold Berg is associated with the social aims movement in photography, Taking a narrative approach to highlight issues within society and tell the stories of people from all different backgrounds. His ability to interact with his subjects is seen throughout his works, As his unique approach allows him to delve deep into the lives of his subjects and explore them and show them in a new light that may have been previously unseen by other members of society
Raised By Wolves
Raised by Wolves, Is an extremely moving photobook that details the lives of homeless young adults in Los Angeles. The book consists of multiple images, accompanied by handwritten messages from the subjects themselves, as well as dialogues of stories and encounters as told by the subjects themselves. The book itself aims to explore the issue of homelessness in Los Angeles, a city seen by the world as the home of Hollywood and infinite luxuries. Goldberg aimed to produce this piece of work to show the world that despite the luxurious draw of Los Angeles, many thousands of people were suffering from poverty and homelessness in underdeveloped and under looked communities, thus inspiring an atmosphere of rebellion and dissent towards law and order, An atmosphere that was felt across the vast majority of the western world at the time, Spawning the “Punk” movement. Often associated with loud, vicious rock and the iconic Mohawk haircut, The Punk movement coined its name from a term used to describe a person who was seen as worthless and of no importance in the world. Punk culture revolves around the ideas of rebellion, self freedom and anti establishment views.
Raised By Wolves consists of striking imagery depicting daily life for young adults left homeless within Los Angeles. Many of these youths managed to form communities of fellow homeless adolescents and inhabit abandoned buildings. AS typical with young people, Partying was common among these communities, and It is widely depicted within the book, with themes of addiction and trauma also incorporated to further tell the stories of those on the streets.
Book Design
The book is presented with a glossy cover, With the silhouetted outline of a female with the main title written in a graffiti style. The image of the young woman is laid over the top of an image of an adolescent male in an urban environment. The rear cover of the book includes a written letter from a subject Goldberg photographed, reminding him to publish the book to show the world who the people of the streets really are. The pages themselves are of a semi gloss finish and the book is bound by stitching, Which is visible when turning the pages of the book itself. Images usually take up a full page, however there are also a few full bleed images included. One of the unique characteristics of the book itself is the incorporation of handwritten notes from the subjects themselves, talking about aspirations, their lives and attitudes towards society. There are also recorded dialogues within the books, straight from conversations with subjects themselves which I find adds a real interactive element to the photobook as it allows us to not only explore the physical lives of those that Goldberg decided to photograph, but it also allows us an insight into the mentality and mind of those photographed.
Image Analysis
