Hereafter called: Subject - Samuel Otte - De Best Verzorgde Boeken

The design concept behind Hereafter called: Subject is radically simple. The interior of this visual journey through people and places in Europe is made up – with the exception of the title pages of the photo series – entirely of scans of A4 format clear plastic folders containing photographs and texts. Although the book is not a literal copy of such a document pouch, it does imitate many of the physical characteristics of them: the original folders dictate the format, it is light and floppy as a folder, and opens nicely. This serves the simple concept well, and results in a convincing object. The colourful cover sets up a strong contrast with the largely black-and-white printed interior and sets the tone for the playful, uneasy photography inside. The content – photographic experiments on the complexity of various relationships – merges with the way it has been brought together, giving a feeling of leafing through someone’s personal photo album. Together, all of this goes to make up an alienating whole that cries out to be understood.