ForTress (a book about Arthur Tress by Tim Soter) documents the rare, honest friendship between two creative personalities. Arthur is a world-renowned Surrealist photographer and essential figure in the history of photography. He has been making photographs since the 1960s and his works appear in the collections of major museums internationally. A photographic artist I (Tim Soter) am currently concentrating on producing unique, immersive photo-biographies.
ForTress is a funny tale told very openly with photographs, wild collages and emails like “don’t let my book clog up your drains” and “hi I just had some dental surgery and my mouth is sore so I will call you now” usually sent in haiku form or ALL CAPS! Arthur allowed me to show him as I see him, and is one hundred percent unselfconscious, never once objecting to anything – even sending me his own books with instructions to cut them up and use them.
This books SAYS it’s about Arthur Tress but don’t be fooled. It’s a book about creative learning, being receptive and seeing into the future. It existentially describes a deep connection with an imaginative human. Our constant correspondence while I was making the book BECAME the book! There most likely won’t be a Tress biography other than this, so this is the official record about a photographer who literally still shoots a hundred rolls of film each month.
For fans of 70’s ballads, brainteaser books and old people who turn out to be wizards.
ForTress is in the collection of Alec Soth, as well as the International Center of Photography library, the library of Special Collections of Stanford University, the collection of David Solo, among others.
Tim Soter
ForTress (a book about Arthur Tress by Tim Soter)
Published by The Ship Escaped (self-published) in 2019.
Hardcover, 122 pages, with 64 color photographs.
Includes texts by the artist and the subject.
Edition of 500 copies.
Design by Tim Soter.
ISBN: 978-0-578-44045-3
http://www.theshipescaped.com/books-shop/fortress
