Dérive

by Jessica Lange

Award-winning actress’ third powerHouse title, a collection of street photography made during the pandemic in New York City; French for “drift.” The title is taken from Guy Debord’s Theory of the Dérive (1956): “In a dérive (unplanned journey) one drops all their usual motives for movement and action and let themselves be drawn by the attractions—usually urban and the encounters they find there.”

Acclaimed actor and photographer Jessica Lange embraced the onslaught of the pandemic and the initial lockdown in New York City in a remarkably intimate and engaging having been tempted to read French philosopher Guy Debord’s landmark text,

104 pages, Hardcover

Published September 12, 2023

About the author

Jessica Phyllis Lange is an American stage and screen actress. With a career that has spanned thirty-five years and six Academy Award nominations (including two wins), she may be most notable for her performances in Frances, Tootsie, Sweet Dreams, Blue Sky, and Grey Gardens.

Reviews

[Frank Atlas · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Dérive” by Jessica Lange.
Published by PowerHouse Books, Distributed by Simon and Schuster
The 3rd photography book by Lange, this collection of black and white photographs by Jessica Lange from November 2020-May 2021 documented New York City during the early part of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Dérive is the French word for “Drift”: The title is taken from Guy Debord’s Theory of the Dérive (1956): “an unplanned journey through a landscape, usually urban, in which participants drop their everyday relations and ‘let themselves be drawn by the attractions of the terrain and the encounters they find there.’” This collection encompassed many aspects of the pandemic, touching on the isolation during this time, small businesses suffering from being closed, those who were unable to leave the city, and stuck in a setting straight out of a science fiction movie. There are a few stand-out photographs that really demonstrate the lonely and isolating feeling that frequently arose during the height of the pandemic, people unable to leave the city to escape metropolitan congestion, small businesses expressing dissatisfaction with Gover Cuomo’s response to the pandemic, as well as photographs that just breathe the essence of New York, graffitied walls of old buildings, a couple dressed in vintage garb sitting on a park bench. While these photographs take place during the pandemic this is not a “pandemic book”, this is an expression of the concept of Dérive. The wandering around and documenting whatever Lange came across, to integrate amongst those in New York, regardless of social status. A solid collection of photographs that were fascinating to look through showing Lange’s understanding of the craft and appreciation for the world around her. Showcasing the atmosphere of New York CIty that the average person would experience, a perspective that was kept despite the class difference of the photographer with many of the subjects in this collection. While I did enjoy this collection there was a bit of repetition amongst some of the photographs that left me wanting a little more diversity amongst them with some of the image selections possibly not being the best of the frames taken. Overall a nice photography book that will give a peak into the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City and the individuality that New York holds as an iconic city.

3 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Thank you PowerHouse Books for sending me an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

- F.A.

[Joe Archer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know much about photography, but I really enjoyed Jessica Lange’s book talk at the Chicago Humanities Festival last year, and these photographs give me a surreal sense of nostalgia.

[Dylan Baker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Consistent themes of grittiness and emptiness with a few shots that really hit home for me, but overall doesn’t have a ton to say beyond the surface.