T: A Typology of T-Shirts by Susan Barnett, Dewi Lewis Publishing
The book is available on Amazon + dewilewis.com. Also available on Photoeye, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones and Stromfashion.
In the series Not In Your Face the t-shirt is starkly evident but the photographs are not about the shirts per se. They are about identity, validation and perception. The act of wearing a t-shirt is a cry out for acceptance. Each person reveals a part of themselves that advertises their hopes, ideals, likes, dislikes, political views, and personal mantras. They wear a kind of badge of honor that says “yes, I belong to this group not the other.” It is about the marketing of differences. I have been influenced by Martin Paar and his interest in fashion as another “manifestation of social expression.” By photographing from the back, these pictures challenge the tradition of a portrait being of the face and tests whether body type, dress and demeanor can tell us just as much as a facial expression might. The back view would seemingly make these people anonymous but upon closer inspection we see their individuality emerge. After I ask the person to pose they often ask “what should I do?” I tell them whatever they want. It is their portrait. August Sander likened it to “merely assisting a self-portrait.” The compiled images document a diverse range of cultural typologies, not only in the messages on the shirts, but in hairstyles, accessories, tattoos and personal stances. This is an attempt to define a generation with a portrait that engages the viewer in a dialog about how these individuals want to be seen, and how we in fact see them.
“as much a sociological gauge of Western culture as it is a typological or photographic study, brilliant in its simplicity.”
–Mark Murrmann, Mother Jones
“The sheer diversity makes for a dazzling collection.”
–American Photo
• 3/3 Treterzi, Interview T: A Typology of T-Shirts, by Chirai, February 2016
• LFI Blog, Not In Your Face Interview, December 2015
• KATALOG 26.2, Typologies – In Memory of Bernt and Hilla Becher by Jens Friis, December 2015
• Huffington Post, Italy, Not In Your Face, Arianna Catania, November 2015
• Slate, These Portraits Capture People’s Essence from their Back, by David Rosenberg, November 2015
• LFI Blog, Photographic Genes, April 2015
• Stuttgarter Zeitung, Die Brucke Zur Welt, August 2015
• Photo-eye Blog, Review of T: A Typology of T-Shirts, by Melanie McWhorter, June 2015
• Vice Magazine Spain, PhotoEspana Descubrimientos Award Interview, June 2015
• Equivalence, European Photography 97, The Photographic Figure, June 2015
• Bucher: Bildband Des Monats, Review by Manfred Zollner, June 2015
• Photography International, by Eberhard Hess, June 2015
• Fotographia, Book campaign and interview, May 2015
• A Curator, T: A Typology of T-Shirts, by Julie Grahame, April 2015
• LFI: Leica Fotographie International, Photographic Genes, April 2015
• Konbini, Project T: Exploring Self Expression Through T-Shirt Typology, March 2015
• Visual Studies, A Portfolio of Visual Narratives, by Xavia Karner, 2015
• American Photo Magazine, 4 Best Photo Books, Review by Jack Crager, 2015