Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre: Gunkanjima

In 2010 the style of art known as 'Ruins photography' was launched by the release of Marchand & Romain's  The Ruins of Detroit .The two French photographers gave a dispassionate view of a city in decay.This lack of history and context in this style has led to a backlash of complaints and sneering condemnation along with the dismissive title of 'ruins porn'.If you feel that art must always explain itself and that a full history and voice from every angle needs to be heard then this latest release is going to be as annoying to you as any other in this genre.Here we are taken to Hashima island in the Nagasaki prefecture of Japan. A tiny island of just 16 acres, it was used to mine coal from 1887 until it's closure in 1974. In it's hey day it was the most densely populated place on earth with an incredible figure of over 5,200 people living there in the 1960's.The means of heaping so many people into such a small area were closely situated & interconnected concrete buildings.40 years on from being abandoned these buildings are the subject for this collection.A brief over view is given by the artists at the beginning & a personal view of a little of the islands history is given over a few pages to the rear by a handful of former residents who travelled back to the island with Marchand & Meffre.The photographs were taken over two trips that took place in 2008 & 2012. A few pages of history are included at the beginning too.There is also a map.This is printed in large format landscape style. The Printing is superb with realistic colours and heavy quality paper.The binding is good and the jacketless boards are cloth with no titles but simply a photograph on each side.The photographs are what this is all about & I have to say that if you love photography, in particular this genre, then you are in for a treat.There are many contrasting then/now pictures that show just how busy the whole island was and just how desolate it has become.From high over the island shots that take in the sea defences and nearby mainland to the fascinating up close shots of stuff left behind, (from toys & books to equipment) this covers a huge range that never fails to capture both attention & imagination.The outside images have an incredible 1960's sic-fi feel to them with huge long concrete staircases leading to crumbling balconies and plant life forcing it's way through everywhere.The format is perfect as it allows a huge amount of detail to be clearly seen as well as the massive scale of the whole project.Each image has a very brief description but the buildings being numbered means you can refer to the map to see where you are looking at on the island.As a history this has it's uses but really it has to be as a straightforward look at an amazing project that very few outside of Japan know about, free of opinion and judgement, that this project really shines.There are a fair few photographers at work in the ruins arena now but 'gunkanjima' serves to remind us of just who are the best at this.Marchand & Romain have presented another classic with a completely different subject in the same genre. The 'battleship' is presented in an array of superb photography that has the reader returning over and over to enjoy their art and contemplate just what has become of this tiny island and it's former occupants and what it signifies.A brilliant book that is a must have for all Ruins/ Marchand & Meffre fans.

This book is a large very well presented representation of Gunkanjima and I would strongly reccomend

such a fascinating book and to see it as it was and as it is now sure makes you think.