In this publication theatre photographer Sanne Peper allows her independent work to merge with scene photos from a performance of Medea by the drama group Dood Paard. Doom and darkness are shaken out over us in barely penetrable images of an anti-utopian society in which the upper hand is held by the masses. Texts from the classical tragedy Medea accompany the independent work, and these in turn create new links with scenes from the performance.

For the first part of the book, No Place to Go, Peper photographed buildings and cityscapes in threatening, apocalyptic settings in a number of the world’s great cities. In the second part, All Dressed up, we have photographs in which the players of Dood Paard are in motion. This is a pretentious project with a leadenly heavy message, but despite that it is intriguing in its interplay of form and content.

The magazine-like concept is reminiscent of the earlier Life photo magazines. Grey papers reinforce the murky black-and-white photography, as does the large area of grey and the occasional sudden magenta when the content calls for it.

The book is sold in a large and solid cardboard photo envelope, on the outside of which the time 23:02 is printed in large characters. The margins of the pages count down (or is it up?) to 23:57. H-hour is close but not yet upon us. In the second part the clock runs backwards to… 23:03. Thus everything in this book has been devised. Perhaps that is its failing: that we can see it.