Topography Is Fate by Matthew Arnold (2013)

Discussion in 'Books, Films, TV, Radio' started by Charley Fortnum, Feb 5, 2018.

  1. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

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    I've only just become aware of this publication and am sorely tempted to buy it. 1/4th Essex trudged a lot of this ground.

    Take a look at the sample photographs here: Topography Is Fate by Matthew Arnold on FotoVisura [Scroll right for next]

    And the page samples here: photo-eye Bookstore | Topography Is Fate by Matthew Arnold | photobook [Click on the miniature book, lower left].

    And the book samples here:
    https://www.matthewarnoldphotography.com/TOPOGRAPHY-IS-FATE-BOOK/The-Monograph/1/caption

    It's limited in the fact that there is no commentary--it's a pure photography book [sixty shots] with an introductory essay--but short of walking the terrain yourself browsing these close yet wide landscape shots is the best way to get a feel for what it would have been like to live and fight in these decidedly non-European locales.

    Topography Is Fate—North African Battlefields of World War II


    Topography Is Fate—North African Battlefields of World War II, published as a monograph by the German publisher, Kehrer Verlag, considers the varied landscapes of North Africa that the soldier of World War II was forced to endure. Thousands of miles from home, largely untraveled and ignorant of lands and peoples outside his home country, he was dropped onto the shores of what must have seemed to him a dangerous and alien environment—his understanding of the land limited to stereotype, myth and the relevant army field manual.

    The approach is conceptual, with the photographs of the North African battlefields presented, similar to theNew Topographic photographers of previous generations, in an almost anonymous and neutral tone of voice. The images are taken in daylight, without complexity and noise, portraying a peaceful quietness of the desert or grassland to allow viewers to fill in that negative space with their own visualization of the war. Arnold has documented the battlefields as they currently stand in a personal style of landscape photography; impressionistic muted horizons of desert, coastal seascape and grassland, incorporating bunkers, trenches and physical artifacts of the conflict that remain as part of the environment.

    Some World War II battle sites, such as the D-Day beaches of Normandy, are well known and frequently visited. The critical battlefields of the North African campaign, which took place between June 1940 and May 1943, are particularly inaccessible, both because of their geographic location and because they exist within a region that continues to be affected by political strife and violent upheavals. Yet, in 2011 and 2012, he spent several months traveling from Egypt to Tunisia to document remote WWII battlefields where Axis and Allied forces fought against each other and against the elements amid challenging terrain.

    The project presented many obstacles, not only in locating all of the sites but also in obtaining the necessary travel documents, finding safe lodging and transport, and avoiding groups of protestors and rebel forces. Arnold utilized World War II military maps to follow the route taken by the Allies. Along the way, he photographed the captivating beauty of the now-peaceful landscape, from its craggy coastlines and lowland marshes to its rocky hills and barren expanses of sand. 70 years have not yet eradicated traces of the fighting—campsites can still be found—evident by the amount of ration tins, trench systems and pill boxes that still carry the marks of battle. Unexploded shells, barbed wire and mines still litter the landscapes of North Africa and occasionally claim yet another victim, as if the very land itself is reminding us of the tragedy of war. These photographs depict the peaceful landscape that it is today, so very different from yesterday.
     
    Last edited: Feb 6, 2018
    Cee and Tricky Dicky like this.
  2. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

  3. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    Last edited: Feb 5, 2018
  4. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    This one may interest some specialists: Keyes Beach near Al Bayda, Libya.

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    "Used by British Commandos in the raid on Rommel's headquarters"
     
  5. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    Report:

    I now have this book and thought I'd record my impressions:

    It's a very beautiful publication. The materials used are top-notch and it weighs a ton (free postage worldwide!). One of the introductory pieces of writing describes the photographs contained within as 'haunting' and that's an appropriate term. These places seemed abandoned, with weather and livestock being the only perennial visitors.

    Despite mention of how a trip to Egypt originally inspired the project, there are no photographs of Egypt at all. It isn't expressly stated, but there are references to political instability that suggest this was the reason--which leaves me screaming out for full-colour pictures of Ruweisat! As it is, we have a lot of Libya and Tunisia, the former, of course, being previously divided into Cyrenaica and Tripolitania. The surprise, perhaps, for me was how colourful some of Tunisia becomes. Comparing the b&w footage of Medjez-el bab with the lush green fields shown here was almost a revelation. I had the scene 'wrongly categorised', mentally speaking, and that's the value of this book in a nutshell.



    As forewarned by reviews, there is no military content of any length contained in the preface or the introductory essay. The latter of those two pieces is concerned predominantly with the philosophy and composition of the images, not the history behind them; indeed, mention is made again of the author following Second World War battle maps, which if you're like me, has you screaming 'WHICH ONES??'

    I've seen a lot of black and white images of North Africa in the 40s, but this brings something new--super-sharp images one feels as if one could 'step into', and a real focus on terrain and flora. I've traveled a fair amount with my boots on, and some of these pictures 'tell' me what it would have felt like to walk the land.

    Heartily recommended, but be under no delusions about what you're buying.

    None of the preview images above show the cloth beneath the jacket, it's also very attractive:

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    Last edited: Nov 5, 2020
  6. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    I was just pointed to some of these photos online and learned of the book. It's just stunning work.

    I supppppose I should put this in my list of books to buy :D
     

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