The 'Comprehensive' title of this book is very apt because the six hundred and thirty images, in twelve chapters, reveal a huge amount of Nick Waplington's creativity, obviously through his photos but also sketchbooks, paintings and the bric-a-brac of childhood and teen years.
I think he is justly famous for his 'Living room' series, there are two helpings here. Some of the original work from 1986-1990, and also, the 1995 'Weddings, parties, anything.' In the book's intro, Simon Baker says these photos capture the chaotic, manic, claustrophobic lives of these Nottingham working-class families. Nearly as good as 'Living room' is the 'West Bank projects' from 2008 when Waplington lived in Jerusalem for five years. The fifty-six photos cover plenty of Middle Eastern life.
A chapter I enjoyed was 'Individual works' with thirty-six photos taken from 1993 onwards and not tied to Waplington's ongoing projects. They seem more considered and composed probably because they were taken as one-offs rather than shooting an event with dozens and dozens of images.
Phaidon has published a fascinating monograph of Nick Waplington's work.
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