(SOLD): De FRANCISIS, Chiara. Silver Ghost.

(UK): Odd Eye Press, 2015. First edition. Softcover. 21cm by 30.5cm. Unpaginated. The volume contains images from three different ghost towns located in California and Nevada: Bodie, Rhyolite and Calico. These mining towns were settlements originating from the gold and silver rush during the 19th century. They were subsequently abandoned when the mines closed. The inhabitants left everything behind, transforming the once flourishing towns into a shadowy semblance of their former self. Shot on expired Polaroid film resulting in subtle variations of light and traces of dust and dirt remaining visible on the surface of the images. The title references the silver halide chemical compound contained in photographic film and paper and its increasing disappearance following the advent of digital photography. The combined marks of degraded chemicals and a bleak scenery give the photographs a haunting atmosphere. Abandoned cars and trucks in the desert, a series of empty houses and decaying interiors look like stills taken from an old reel of a film set in the ‘American West’. A very good copy in spiral bound wrappers. Published in an edition of 100 numbered copies.