A Procession of Them

by Eugene Richards

In some countries, they call them the "abandonados," the abandoned ones. They're the impoverished mentally ill and mentally disabled patients being warehoused in psychiatric asylums that are more run-down, more uncaring than the most brutal American prisons. Confined in cage-like cells, tied to beds soiled with human waste, medicated to the point of senselessness, or wandering naked in unheated and garage-like wards, they live in what can only be called the shadows, their plight unseen and too easily ignored by the rest of the human family. Working first as a journalist, later as a volunteer for the human rights organization Mental Disability Rights International, photographer Eugene Richards gained access to psychiatric institutions in Mexico, Argentina, Armenia, Hungary, Paraguay, and Kosovo. His wrenchingly intimate images reveal the often inhumane treatment suffered by the mentally disabled. Offered little that would qualify as effective care, patients are denied even the most basic human privacy, protection from harm, clean clothing. Accompanying the book, A Procession of Them , is a DVD of a short film of the same name. Directed and narrated by Richards, this unique and expressionistic film speaks of the chaos, claustrophobia, and loneliness of these living hells. Making us face some hard truths, A Procession of Them drives home the point that when it comes to the plight of the mentally disabled, "no one much cares." As Richards concludes, it's "as if there is a kind of worldwide agreement that once people are classified as mentally ill or mentally retarded, you're free to do to them what you want."

Genres: Photography, Nonfiction

152 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2008

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw a display of Eugene Richards' photographs recently at a local museum / photo gallery and was really taken by them. For the most part, his photographs are dark and disturbing yet beautiful. I decided to check out a bunch of his photo books.

This particular collection contains photos in mental hospitals in several countries (none in the U.S.). The photos are all black and white and portray very disturbing scenes of mentally ill patients. They are living in horribly unsanitary conditions. Some people are in what are essentially cages. Many of them are nude. Very sad, very stark photos that really tell a story.

One thing I disliked about this book is that the captions for all the photos were clumped together in the back. I didn't even read them because they should have been with each individual photo so that I knew what I was looking at without having to flip back and forth. All in all though, a fascinating and disturbing look into how the mentally ill are treated.

[Aaron the Pink Donut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disturbing and beautiful. This book is really not everyone cup of tea. Very candid and beautifully taken photos of inmates in various mental institutions and asylum thorough central,south America as well as Kosovo and Hungary. Brutal imagery. A stunning document of neglect and abandonment. The DVD that accompanies the book is so so but the book itself is really a powerful.

[Not Mike]

Hardback.

Vivid images.