Book Tip: Evening Standards

Once opened, the very first pages of this large-format book, with its bright turquoise and orange cover, immediately set the tone. The book’s flyleaf presents an almost black picture, in which only the outlines of lace-up boots and trouser legs can be made out. The following page shows a jagged design symbol, reminiscent of a mythical gargoyle figure from church ornamental architecture, supplemented with the exhortation ‘Breathe for the power’. Then, the first photograph appears: a figure crouching on grey paving, apparently tying up shoelaces. It is not the usual way of starting to draw a portrait of the British capital; and yet, it sets the pace for the whole publication. Portraits of passers-by fill the pages; the narrow framing reveals nothing of the urban spaces. Next come street scenes or arrangements reminiscent of still lifes, usually dominated by a dark atmosphere, with only rare flashes of bright colour. At the end is a motif with raw eggs lying cracked on the tarmac. It is clear that this series does not aim at marketing the city; nor is it just another street photography book where the photographer spontaneously scans the metropolitan setting, looking for surprising chance moments. Polanc has carefully prepared every one of his images, working with a tripod, specialised camera and flash, on precise studies with different urban layers and stories.

The next section of the book presents a selection of headlines from the Evening Standard (a free newspaper, financed by advertising, and referred to in the book’s title), dating between January 3 and March 31, 2023. This is the specific period when the photographer was staying in London, courtesy of a grant received from the Austrian Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport. The idea of presenting the outcome in book format was decided even before the trip. “That’s why my time there was full of intensive work. I was in a constant creative process,” Polanc remembers. “I saw the city as a space for experimentation. There were times when I had split feelings about the capital’s post-Brexit atmosphere. I was impressed to see what capitalism can achieve while, at the same time, it was horrifying to see what happens when not enough money is available. I noticed these contrasts frequently.” This experience also provoked Polanc’s decision to take a darker look at the city. “Many of the pictures were taken at night, in shadow, or in mixed light situations,” he explains.

This latest book by the photographer from Graz (born in 1982) demonstrates the meticulousness of his research-based approach. Polanc’s earlier book Mago Über Verritt (2019), also developed with designer Oliver Klimpel, focussed on perception and the way of seeing. The photographer continues with this approach in the new book; yet the result is much more comprehensible and accessible, presenting a fascinating exploration of a city, where the publication’s stringent sequencing and series of images turn the book into an event.