Shane Lavalette signs copies of One Sun, One Shadow, a new photobook exploring the musical tradition of the American South. Rather than providing a visual documentary about musicians, the project moves through the “minor genres” —portraits, landscapes, agricultural scenes, still lives – to capture a lyric feeling that comes from music. The book includes an essay by photographer and poet Tim Davis.

“Having grown up in the Northeast, it was primarily through traditional music—old time, blues, gospel, etc.—that I had formed a relationship with the South. With that in mind, the region’s rich musical history became the natural entry point for my work. I was not interested in making a documentary about Southern music today, but desired to explore the relationship between traditional music and the contemporary landscape through a more poetic lens. Moved by the themes and stories past down in songs, I let the music itself carry the pictures.”

The cloth bound hardcover book features foil stamping and tipped-on image. A Special Edition of 30 copies is also available, and is accompanied by a print from Lavalette.

One Sun, One Shadow was commissioned by the High Museum of Art in Atlanta for their Picturing the South series, which invites artists to create a body of work about the American South.

Work from this project was recently exhibited at Robert Morat Galerie in Hamburg, Germany, and an exhibition will be opening in the new year at Kaunas Photography Gallery in Lithuania, and then touring to Le Château d'Eau in Toulouse, France.