"... made, collected, constructed and reconstructed over the past 14 years - this book constitutes an alternative biography of Ramya." (© Petra STAVAST)
"Petra STAVAST has brought enormous care and devotion to documenting the life of her former landlady, Ramya. When the photographer moved into Ramya's home in 2001, the camera became their means of communication.
The result is a series of quiet, intimate photographs of the house and its inhabitant. Following Ramya's death in 2012, the project gained a new dimension. STAVAST delved deeper into her former landlady's life story and discovered not only Ramya's private archive, but also photographs taken from time to time by a neigbor.
In her committed photo book, 'Ramya', Petra STAVAST traces events such as Ramya's membership of the Rajneeshpuram commune, established between 1981 and 1985 by followers of the Bhagwan (Osho) in the no-man's-land of Oregon, USA. Now, as STAVAST's photographs reveal, the only on-site reminder of that period is a wide asphalted road. A video shows Ramya, back in Amsterdam, at a workshop given by a new guru. Together, these documents constitute Stavast's biography of ramya: a record of an unusual life." (publisher's note, © fw: books)
"In this book Petra STAVAST manages to capture the intimacy which can exist between photographer and photographed. While portraying Ramya and her surroundings, photography became their means of communication. The subtle changes, recorded over a longer period, show how slowly life can go. The project was made over a period of 14 years, and contains various photographic and video works.
In the book all separate works are deconstructed and edited in a way that a visual search for an identity is revealed." (publisher's note, © fw: books)
"Petra STAVAST has brought enormous care and devotion to documenting the life of her former landlady, Ramya. When the photographer moved into Ramya's home in 2001, the camera became their means of communication.
The result is a series of quiet, intimate photographs of the house and its inhabitant. Following Ramya's death in 2012, the project gained a new dimension. STAVAST delved deeper into her former landlady's life story and discovered not only Ramya's private archive, but also photographs taken from time to time by a neigbor.
In her committed photo book, 'Ramya', Petra STAVAST traces events such as Ramya's membership of the Rajneeshpuram commune, established between 1981 and 1985 by followers of the Bhagwan (Osho) in the no-man's-land of Oregon, USA. Now, as STAVAST's photographs reveal, the only on-site reminder of that period is a wide asphalted road. A video shows Ramya, back in Amsterdam, at a workshop given by a new guru. Together, these documents constitute Stavast's biography of ramya: a record of an unusual life." (publisher's note, © fw: books)
"In this book Petra STAVAST manages to capture the intimacy which can exist between photographer and photographed. While portraying Ramya and her surroundings, photography became their means of communication. The subtle changes, recorded over a longer period, show how slowly life can go. The project was made over a period of 14 years, and contains various photographic and video works.
In the book all separate works are deconstructed and edited in a way that a visual search for an identity is revealed." (publisher's note, © fw: books)
- Book design
- Hans GREMMEN
- Format
- HC (no dust jacket, as issued), 17 x 24 x 2 cm., 224 pp., 170+ ills., text language: English