FILIPS SMITS

15/50 pieces are available for acquisition.

The photo book ''Post No Bills'' by photographer Filips Smits is an invitation to experience a journey through Brooklyn, NY, and perceive the city from the author’s perspective. 

These uncertain times have put us in a peculiar situation, the given restrictions limited our ability to tread new paths and derive inspiration from unaccustomed scenery. We were forced to extract new notions and influences from past experiences. 

The book illustrates one’s state of being in which, physically, one is imposed to exist here, but mentally, live in the accumulation of time fragments spent elsewhere. The distorted images represent the perception of this time of restrictions, the continuous attempt to ameliorate the current reality with one’s memories. 

The conceptual approach was to expand the medium of photography into a 3-D object - something you can perceive with not just your sight, but with a sense of touch and even the scent of raw materials like wood. 

Surrounded by metal, the plywood covers are inspired by the urban environment observed in Brooklyn. The iconic green fences in ultra-orthodox Hasidic communities and construction sites were fundamental influences for the design process. The author reimagined Brooklyn as an ever-evolving construction site, historically vibrant and diverse, but distanced part of NYC. 

While the viewer is having a hands-on experience with the photo journey through the borough, he can peer through the construction site cut-out window and re-envision himself, through a photograph, standing next to Williamsburg bridge which leads to Manhattan. 

Visually, the selected photographs interconnect through the applied concertina fold and offer the viewer a panoramic experience. The author chose to showcase Brooklyn's public environment by photographing fences and obstruction elements, as they guide, block, or diverse us on our everyday paths and commutes, these elements symbolically represent the global situation of restrictions, which were placed on our daily lives to help fight the pandemic.

Technical details: 

Materials used in the book cover include CNC cut baltic birch plywood which is hand sanded and painted with dark green organic wood stain. Hand bent metal frame is placed around the cover. One of the back covers has a welded metal mesh to mimic a classic NYC fence. A magnet system is used to keep the book together. A metal safety chain is used to protect the concertina (accordion) fold. Photographs are captured on 35mm film and printed on Munken Lynx 240 paper using an authentic offset printer. Size A5.

Created in collaboration with artist and designer Mikelis Murnieks. Mikelis was commissioned by the author to help develop and technically execute the overall design concept. 

Captured in Brooklyn, New York, and handcrafted in Riga, Latvia.