Smalltown by Martin Mischkulnig

In a perfect synergy of image and text, Smalltown shows us the bizarre, humorous and sometimes desolate aspects of our country towns, and challenges us to consider what Winton calls ‘fugliness and the smalltown shambolic’. Essay by Tim Winton and photography by Martin Mischkulnig. Smalltown is a view of the Australia we politely ignore. In this rich and austere collaboration, photographer Marin Mischkulnig has joined writer Tim Winton to produce a meditation on the peculiar collision of beauty and ugliness that characterises our far-flung towns. Without pulling any punches, this is an affectionate, exasperated take on ‘fugliness and the smalltown shambolic’ where both photographer and writer crate a stark beauty, despite the sad conviction that ‘there is nothing so bleak and forbidding in country Australia as the places humans have built there’ (from the publisher).
There are some amazing photos in this book; a picture says a thousand words comes to mind with some to be found in here.
Rating - I give this 3.5/5 Not bad!
Get this from the library
Reviewed by Michelle @ admin