Hurricane Waves

by Clifford Ross, Jay A. Clarke (Editor)

Dramatic photographs depicting the ever-changing forms of ocean waves during storms; the first complete presentation of the “Hurricane Waves” series. To photograph storm-tossed waves during a hurricane, Clifford Ross goes into the surf himself, deploying a wetsuit, flotation vest, and a rope that tethers him to his assistant back on the beach. The result is a series of stunningly dramatic black and white photographs that are among Ross's best-known works. This book collects for the first time the entire “Hurricane Waves” series (begun in 1996), presenting black and white tri-tone images of all eighty-four of the “Hurricane Waves” in the series, along with detailed close ups, and historical color images. It accompanies a landmark exhibition at MASS MoCA. The photographs show waves arrested in mid-air but roiling with movement, offering a distorted mirror of the clouds above them, shooting up in an explosion of foam, folding in on themselves, rising tall as a waterfall. We know that the photographer is imbedded in their fury, but in the photographs there is no sign of any human presence. These astonishing images affirm Ross's commitment to the expressive powers of realism as well as to the most advanced possibilities of technology. Texts by
Phong Bui, Jay Clarke, Orville Schell, and Joseph Thompson Copublished with MASS MoCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) Exhibition
MASS MoCA Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art
May 22, 2015—March 30, 2016

192 pages, Hardcover

First published August 7, 2015

Reviews

[Dylan McCarthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

These photos are gorgeous and make me want to spend time in the ocean. If nothing else, just flip through the beautiful shots! The three essays and interview with Clifford Ross were a nice way for me to think about how I best appreciate art. The essay and interview by Orville Schell put the art in the context of history and Ross's experience getting the photos in a way I most liked. Schell's content seemed the most graspable and actionable. Jay Clarke's essay was helpful to think about the materials and process Ross used when printing the photos and what that meant, but it veered into esoteric jargon. The writing by Phong Bui is I'm sure interesting to someone with art and philosophy degrees (+a dictionary), but I found most of it unreachable. The content seemed intriguing based on capturing movement and making into a still object and the nature of waves as huge powerful wall of tiny, independent drops moving as a unit; but I think the pretension got in the way of appreciating the work.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I should've known better but I read the essays preceding the photographs first. I would recommend reading the one page forward and then skipping ahead to the photographs so you can have your own unbiased impression of them.

Then maybe skip back to the interview with the photographer.

Then if you like academic art essays, go back and read those but they tell you more about what the author thought than what the photographer was going for.