American Bedroom: A Poetic Photographic Journey by Barbara Peacock
Welcome to this edition of [book spotlight]. Today, we uncover the layers of 'American Bedroom,' by Barbara Peacock (published by Kehrer Verlag). We'd love to read your comments below about these insights and ideas behind the artist's work.
WARNING: This post contains intimate photography of people in their natural habitats.
Barbara Peacock, a celebrated photographer and director, delves into the intimate corners of American lives in her groundbreaking project, American Bedroom. This cultural and anthropological study offers an unfiltered poetic journey into the private sanctuaries of Americans—their bedrooms. The project presents unguarded portraits of individuals, couples, and families, revealing the depth of their character, truth, and spirit. Each photograph is paired with a personal quote, adding layers to the narrative and inviting viewers to contemplate the idiosyncrasies of each enigmatic life.
In an era rife with reductionist analyses of the American body politic, Peacock's work reminds us of the multitudes within her fellow citizens. American Bedroom captures moments of emotional innocence and vulnerability, with subjects often depicted without clothing or frolicking in bed, neutralizing conventional identities. Larry Fink, who wrote an introductory quote for the project, notes that Peacock's work is a testimony to emotional innocence playing footsie with the devil.
Exploring Intimacy: "American Bedroom" offers a deep dive into the intimate lives of its subjects. What initially inspired you to focus on the bedroom as a setting for these portraits, and how did you gain the trust of your subjects to capture such personal moments?
Originally my idea for the project came from seeing my husband wrapped up in the bed sheets one early spring morning with spectacular warm cascading light pouring in and creating what looked like a renaissance painting. The caveat was his snore mask, which made the scene contemporary. As I sat back in bed with my coffee, I began to think about the dichotomy of what I'd seen. Beauty and humor, classical and contempory, a glimpse of everyday American life. Looking around the room I saw the personal artifacts of life - photographs on the dresser, handmade cherished items from my children, scattered clothing, and on my bedside table a stack of books, sleep aids, scribbled journals, and coffee rings stains. I thought about how it all spoke of our private worlds with our personal expression within our living quarters. I began to think about how I would complete this scene sitting reading and drinking coffee. It seemed not only a visual study but an anthropological one as well. I was intrigued. I asked friends and family what they thought of such a project, and most were encouraging. So, I started locally with family, friends and neighbors.
Trust for this project came in two forms. Initial trust came when a subject agreed to be photographed in their bedroom. This initial trust opens the communication and the acceptance of what will transpire. The second part of the trust begins when we step into the home of this subject and we begin a rapport, a connection, a friendship that starts even before the bedroom door is opened. The deeper part of the trust comes within the bedroom where we continue our new friendship as we discuss how we will be collaborating. I don't walk into a bedroom and begin to direct the shoot. The shoot usually develops organically and if we get stalled, I will introduce paintings that I have organized on my phone. (I have culled a diverse collection of classical and contemporary paintings.) Oftentimes this is a great ice breaker. They'll look at the paintings and say “ooh I like this one let's try this” - and we'll start there. This is a great warming up for us both. While shooting I keep the conversation light but engaging. I continue to ask them about themselves putting the attention on them. Most often the conversation turns to the big things in life such as losing a spouse or battling a life-threatening illness, or tragic losses, or starting a new chapter in life. We don't talk about the weather or politics or ideologies or religion those things are left at the door sill. I think the trust builds and comes from a place of genuine interest in them and in their story. With gentle guidance and continued camaraderie together, we create the images. And we have fun. For some folks this is one of the most compelling and provocative moments in their life.
Narrative and Imagery: Each of your photographs is paired with a quote from the subject, adding layers to their story. Could you share the process of selecting these quotes and how they contribute to the overall narrative of the project?
In the beginning stages of the project, I was not getting quotes from my subjects. After photographing Pepere, an older gentleman in Maine whose wife was now in a nursing home he made a comment after the photo shoot. “Every day I try to be quiet, so I don't wake her and then I remember she's no longer here.” When I heard him say that a light bulb went off and I instantly realized that the importance of the image came from the subject own words and what they had to say about their life. Subsequently I went back to all the people that I had photographed and got statements from them and going forward no image would be shown without its statement because I believe that the statements are as important as the photographs if not more important.
I ask my subjects to send me their statements within 48 hours of the shoot so that too much time doesn't go by. For the most part the quotes come as they are. I don't edit them; I prefer for them to be authentic. Sometimes they may go on too long and I would edit them with approval. Often subjects ask me for help, and I might make a suggestion or refer to our conversation or something that they said in passing but for the most part the statements are coming directly from the subject and used as is.
Visual Language: Larry Fink noted that your work possesses an "emotional innocence" that avoids lurid or voyeuristic undertones, despite the intimacy of the settings. How do you navigate maintaining respect and dignity for your subjects while capturing them in such private moments?
Maintaining respect and dignity is akin to gaining trust. Once that trust has been gained, people are very open about expressing their lives. I'm reticent and careful not to suggest too much until we are getting to a place during the shoot where the subjects are very comfortable. It takes some time and it’s nothing that you can force. At some point my subjects become comfortable, they’re having fun, they're reflective, and while we're talking the overall experience becomes very intimate. Some folks are more comfortable than others. Also, I have never asked anyone to take their clothes off. The images with nudity and physical closeness are very natural and exist because my subjects were brave and wanted to show themselves genuinely without artifice. Just total openness. For some folks, this is the moment when the light is shining on them, when their story is being revealed, where their voice will be heard, and they will be seen. These folks take it seriously and show their true selves. My job is to make it as comfortable experience as possible. I achieve that by honoring them and they in turn show the world who they are with utter and unabashed transparency.
Challenges and Surprises: Throughout the course of creating "American Bedroom," what were some of the most challenging aspects of the project, and were there any surprising moments or revelations?
The biggest challenge for this project was to raise the funds to travel and to get all 50 states. Besides winning two grants and a few contests I had to sell prints and find sponsorship to fund the project. There were times I couldn't go on the road because I had no funding. Logistics are another complication especially with some of the bigger trips like the Midwest where we traveled to 11 states in three weeks. I would be juggling messages coming in from folks from e-mail, Facebook, Instagram message, texting and I had to make charts and grafts of where the journey was going. I had to constantly calculate mileage and timing of the daylight as well as the availability of subject, and where we would stay etcetera - logistics is constant and challenging. It was also difficult to raise the funds to print the book. Although I did a crowdfunding fundraiser, I only raised a third of what I needed so I had to go into debt for the rest. As far as surprises go, the biggest surprise overall was the openness that people shared their private world to me and to the rest of the world. To this day I am still astonished by how incredibly willing and open folks were about their personal lives.
Creative Process: The concept of "rebirth of naturalism" played a significant role in the inception of this project. Can you elaborate on how this idea influenced your creative process and the evolution of the project?
While I was in art school and studying the History of Art, we spent a great deal of time on the Renaissance and the concept of ‘rebirth of naturalism’ played a huge role, so I never forgot it. I remembered most that it was humans being portrayed naturally without embellishment and that fit into what interests me most in photography. I remember laughing for a moment saying to myself well that snore mask may seem an embellishment but it's a true need in the 21st century! Overall, I really liked the idea of photographing people as naturally as possible within their personally enhanced personal space. I thought this would be a great chance to use my fine art background to tackle contemporary subjects in a classical way by use of light, textures, gesture, and beauty.
Commonality and Connection: You've mentioned that this project is not about highlighting differences but rather about exploring commonalities and connections among people. How do you think your work contributes to fostering a sense of empathy and understanding among viewers?
I can answer this question quite simply to say that almost everyone that's viewed the book will tell me how they've shed tears while connecting with certain images. To me that's the greatest compliment anyone could give me. I've said all along that the statements speak to various collective groups. For instance, a widow or widower’s statement speaks to those who've had devastating loss, or someone dealing with a life-threatening illness speaks to that collective group, or even a mom with all the trails of child rearing speaking of the bliss of motherhood.
Something that I realized just lately while driving, listening to music on the back roads of Maine, is that these 90 images represent all of us. We will all experience joy, loneliness, heartbreak, illness and loss. Perhaps we won't experience everything that each person in this book has experienced but overall, when you pool all these stories together it's really speaking to each of us in our most connected, united human experience on this earth. This collection of stories creates one large collective soul, these stories are all of us, we are all connected, we are all one.
The Impact of Recognition: Having received numerous awards and recognitions for your work, including being named one of the Top 100 Photographers in America 2020, how has this impacted your career and the reception of "American Bedroom"?
I have been incredibly fortunate and very grateful for winning 2 major awards and for all the worldwide recognition American Bedroom has received. It is more than I ever expected or could have asked for and has given me a boost as an artist. Since the book is coming out in the US on May 14th, I don't really know what to expect as far as reception. However, I'm very proud of this body of work, and I would not have been able to do it without the grants, the recognition and support of friends, family and fans across the globe. I am still a young artist in many ways – not by age since I am in my 60’s, but by development. I spend 30 years as a commercial photographer and published my first book in my early 60’s. So even with the recognition I am just like everyone else looking to succeed. I am working hard to find gallery representation and hoping for museums shows, so I am still a work in progress. The one thing that I do know, the one thing that is most important is ‘The Work’ and ‘The Work’ alone. I take a huge cue from Van Gogh who considered himself a failure, yet he continued to paint. And yes, he had a tragic end, but he was not a failure. It’s just that his audience wasn’t born yet. So, we continue with the creation of our work and the love of the act of creating with or without recognition. In the end that is all that truly matters.
Looking Forward: "American Bedroom" has offered a profound glimpse into the American psyche through the lens of the most personal spaces. What are your plans for future projects, and do you intend to explore other aspects of everyday life with similar depth and intimacy?
My plan for the next project is an even deeper intimacy of everyday American Life. It will complete my trilogy of American stories. My interest lies in farming in a rural, Northern part of Maine. I will be going back to documentary photography roots in the most intimate and poetic way I can shoot. I am excited.
To discover more about this intriguing body of work and how you can acquire your own copy, you can find and purchase the book here. (Amazon, Kehrer Verlag, Barbara’s website)
Barbara Peacock is a highly acclaimed photographer and director based in Portland, Maine. Since the inception of American Bedroom in 2016, Peacock has won numerous prestigious awards, including the Getty Editorial Grant, the Women Photograph/Getty Grant, three LensCulture Awards, and four Top 50 Critical Mass Awards. She was also named one of the Top 100 Photographers in America in 2020. Peacock's work captures the essence of her subjects with a blend of fine art and contemporary insight, drawing on her background in art history and her love for storytelling.
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