Fire & iron

by Bill Burke poems by Sue Wrbican

Published on the occasion of the 2002 exhibition Bill Fire and Iron, at the Pittsburgh Filmmakers, Pennsylvania. In this new Burke, which is somewhat reminiscent (in concept and design) of his first (and scarce) artist's book 'They Shall Cast Out Demons' (Nexus Press, 1983), portraits of people in the coal and steel industry regions of Kentucky are combined with images from Burke's travels in Asia. Seemingly disparate images spanning geography and time -- hunters, steel mills and photographs from the aftermath of genocide and wars in Cambodia -- strangely align in this disturbing artist's book. From the text by "A hardened gear head by the age of 15, the metal disease has grown in me over the years. My first photographs were of cars. Years ago a fellow Aries and motorcyclist told me it is in the stars, that fire and iron are essential elements in our shared astrology, and that our lives will always be bound to cars and motors... In 1982, I began to travel in Asia

Paperback

Published January 1, 2002