On August 20th and September 9th, 1975, respectively, NASA launched two Mars probes, Viking 1 and Viking 2. Almost a year later, the probes entered the planet’s orbit. On July 20th, and then on September 3rd, the landers released by each probe were the first spacecrafts to touch down on the surface of Mars. Inspired by conspiracy theories in vogue at the time, Peter Mitchell devised a scenario connecting a new space mission to Mars (Viking Landers 3 and 4) and a Mars mission sent to Leeds, UK, perhaps as a reaction to the probes launched by earthlings.
With his special brand of humor and irony, Mitchell photographed, at street level, the residents of a dilapidated city and the places they are fond of. The images, framed by sets of NASA coordinates, enigmatic to the uninitiated, show peculiar places with their floundering industry and their population devoid of ambition and yearnings.
One mustn’t draw the conclusion that Peter Mitchell’s work falls into the category of documentary “as seen through the eyes of outsiders.” The writer Val Williams explains: “By challenging the notions of documentary photography and the idea that the photographer is necessarily a visitor, an outsider, a traveler, an observer, Peter Mitchell argues for the integration of the photographer, of his importance within a neighborhood and community, the importance of inside information. Mitchell is at home among inhabited ruins, crumbling civilizations.”
Irène Attinger
Irène Attinger is head of the library and bookstore at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris.
Peter Mitchell, New Refutation of the Viking 4 Space Mission/Nouveau Démenti de la mission spatiale
Published by Éditions Clémentine de La Féronnière
€42
http://galerieclementinedelaferonniere.fr/Edition/nouveau-dementi-de-la-mission-spatiale-viking-4
