Saturated with supermarkets, shopping centers, crowded beaches and leisure parks, the English photographer Martin Parr photographed the absurdities of the contemporary world for over fifty years.
His view of the world was by turns satirical, surprising and subtly critical, and in Global Warning, assembled by the photographer shortly before his sad death in December last year, we witness a planet in turmoil.
Global Warning celebrates more than five decades of incisive visual commentary from one of the world’s most celebrated and much-loved photographers, all assembled by Martin shortly before his death.
Richly illustrated with more than 180 of his photographs, from his early black-and-white work in the raucous holiday parks and sleepy supermarkets of rural England to his more recent colour photography of bustling tourist attractions and must-see destinations from across the globe, Global Warning offers a reinterpretation of Parr’s work and position in a time of widespread global disorder.
Published in association with the arts center Jeu de Paume to accompany a major exhibition of Parr’s photography opening in Paris this month, across its five chapters, Global Warning explores the devastating effects of mass tourism, humanity’s increasing dependence on technology, consumer frenzy and overconsumption, and our complex relationship with the animal kingdom.
Quentin Bajac, Director of the Jeu de Paume, and curator of the exhibition, introduces the book, while essays by experts from the social sciences – a geographer, an anthropologist, a sociologist, a historian of urban planning – put the selection of photographs into context and explore the important topics that seem immediately relevant to our everyday lives.
Global Warning was designed, like previous Phaidon Martin Parr books, by Melanie Mues and the flexi-bound binding, uncoated cover material and essays are reproduced on recycled paper within reflect the spirit of the Jeu de Paume Paris exhibition. Showcasing many of Martin Parr’s most renowned images alongside rarely published hidden gems, Global Warning puts the world to rights as only Martin Parr could. Take a closer look at Global Warning.
