A photographic and literary publication from internationally renowned Czech photographer Dita Pepe in 13 chapters examining the borders of love, trauma as motivation to create art, and photography as therapy.
Author: wo-men
Borders of Love is a photographic and literary book from internationally renowned Czech photographer Dita Pepe that in thirteen chapters investigates the borders of love, trauma as motivation to create art, and photography as therapy. In this forthcoming publication, which is also the creative part of her doctoral thesis at Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Dita combines an artistic approach with scientific research.
She worked on the publication with many interesting artists and researchers as well as people who analyzed the topic from purely personal perspectives and experiences.
Besides photos, the book contains dozens of texts in many forms – interviews, reports, personal diaries, letters, short stories, essays, passages from lectures, and specialized texts through which Dita together with invited guests look at various forms of love. These are interlaced with her photos – self-portraits, archival family photos, stylized portraits, photo collages, documentary photos, still lifes… The photographic part of the book typically involves an almost obsessive examination and repetition of motifs with the same form and content to strengthen the feeling of order and clarity the author would like in her life.
Borders of Love contains thirteen chapters:
1. On Maternal Love
2. On Love and Dolls
3. On Love and Death
4. On Self-Love
5. On Love of Animals
6. On Pure Love
7. On Polyamorous Love
8. On Friendship and Love of Work
9. On Falling In Love and Its Influence on Creation
10. On Paternal Love
11. On Pedophilic Love
12. On Love Through the Eyes of Science
13. On Last Loves
Dita tries through Borders of Love to outline various forms of love. The aim of the book is to stimulate other thoughts, perceptions, and experiences of love, to outline how to cope with various traumas – not only ones connected to love. Dita found a way to heal from trauma through photography. The publication is very personal and open – in both the photos and the text. Dita’s voice is clear throughout the book as a guide through individual chapters.
The book is being published in a small printing at the turn of autumn to winter in a Czech–English version as a cooperation between wo-men publishing and Tomas Bata University in Zlín.
Who will like the book?
Those interested in the process of art as a form of (self-)therapy. Those who want to examine various forms of love. Those interested in frequently neglected topics. Those charmed by previous publications from wo-men publishing like Intimita, Love Yourself, and Self-Portraits. Those who love photo books. Those creating at home a sustainable library with artistic value. Those who love high-quality books with a beautiful graphic form.
Contributors to the book:
Photographer Dita Pepe worked on the book with leading figure of Polish and European photography Rafał Milach and literary documentarian and publisher Barbora Baronová. The book’s graphic design is by Štěpán Malovec.
The book gained texts, interviews, and thoughts from: sociologist Lucie Jarkovská from Duo docentky, authors Jana Poncarová and Aleš Palán, perinatal hospice director Alena Peremská, sociologist Martin Fafejta, biology professor and ethologist Daniel Frynta, sociologist Zuzana Kolarzová, doctor Petr Helbich, poet and theologian Magdalena Šipka, music theorist Jiří Zahrádka, neurologist Ivan Rektor, psychologist Alice Prokopová, photographer Nina Mann, and many more.
wo-men publishing is a small independent publisher founded by literary documentarian Barbora Baronová focused on artistic literary and photographic documentary books. The topics the publishing house covers are minority, taboo, non-mainstream. They give a voice to people on the edge of society. For their work, they have received several awards at home and abroad, including Magnesia Litera and the Most Beautiful Czech Books of the Year.
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