Strange Ritual: Words and Pictures

by David Byrne

David Byrne, inspired multi-media artist, brings to photography the same consummate eye for human idiosyncrasy that finds expression in his renowned music. Here in vivid color imagery and compelling words are many of the bizarre incongruities he has encountered during his travels around the world - a Mexican Aztec Hari Krishna, plastic Jesus babies for sale in a shop window, a tome revealing "The Truth About Mars." Chronicling Byrne's uncanny ability to see the unusual - even the sublime - among the mundane, these striking photographs and essays make Strange Ritual an extraordinary document of contemporary culture in our diverse world by one of its keenest observers.

Genres: Art, Photography, Music, Nonfiction

180 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1995

About the author

A cofounder of the musical group Talking Heads, David Byrne has also released several solo albums in addition to collaborating with such noted artists as Twyla Tharp, Robert Wilson, and Brian Eno. His art includes photography and installation works and has been published in five books. He lives in New York and he recently added some new bike racks of his own design around town, thanks to the Department of Transportation.

Photo © Catalina Kulczar-Marin

Reviews

[Joseph Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

well i am a surrealistic thinker. david byrne has always fascinated me no matter if he is an innovative producer, lead vocalist or photographer. the Talking Heads were vital & influential for the music world. i did not know that he was also a noteworthy fotobug. i think everyone will dig the abstractions of these prints. you can appreciate the Pop Art homage to Andy Warhol. there is a colour photo of a limestone factory where the light radiates an otherworldly hue. personally, it is reminiscent of how light pours through the windows of the Grand Central Station. truly mysterious as is this photo book. david also seems to channel his inner Zen wth the simplicity & oneness of objects. so actually trust me like a true irishman. you will be delighted & provoked.

the lens of the Universe cannot lie
it shows us the true nature of Beauty

[Cody · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting exploration of religious devotion — particularly religious icons and places — from around the world through photos and short essays. His juxtapositions of the sacred and profane are thought-provoking, but perhaps even more so are the scenes he's discovered where the sacred comes close to being the profane, or vice versa. For example a table of sunglasses for sale on one page and a table of Jesus figurines on the opposite. Byrne doesn't put forth any conclusions about humanity's rituals, superstitions, and fetishes, he just displays a healthy curiosity about these peculiarly human things.

[Rizelle Adriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this in a secondhand bookstore in Vancouver, BC. I took it home and flipped through it a million times. With bits of poetry and candid photography, Strange Ritual takes readers through doorways and churches and restrooms and bedrooms and factories and seemingly personal vignettes to examine: our strange rituals.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Instagram book form

[Lauri_ok · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspired me in a lot of ways. I found the poems to relate to my mind and current interests

[alex valdes · Rating 4 out of 5]

"In retrospect, I seem to be engaged in a purposeful activity. There seems to be a direction, a point to this. Religious artifacts, shop window displays, isolated structures in the landscape, hotel and airport room details, the public writing of "lunatics," books, bungalows, performing chairs, faded signs, and spot lit objects - all have a common thread, which has only revealed itself to me after many years of meandering. I seem to be searching for the sacred. I seem to look for the numinous in the banal, in the mundane. And I often find it too. For it is often missing in the expected places. It is as if it has been misplaced."

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfectly David Byrne-y compilation of photographs and text -- some small captions, some short essays. The pictures are grouped by theme, individually beautiful or intriguing, but more powerful in their groups. A key at the back of the book gives a place and date for each photo, letting the images stand for themselves. An interview with Byrne at the end highlights some of his artistic goals, but doesn't pin anything down too much. Really a delightful read, and fun to flip through multiple times.

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not his fault. It's probably not mine either. I'm simply not on his wavelength. Though I appreciate his search for the sacred in the banal. Reminds me of Every Motel On the Strip (or whatever that one book of mundane photography was called). At least he does not claim this to be art. Fans of David Byrne will likely be able to connect to this much more deeply than I was. Likewise, lovers of ordinary things viewed from odd angles.

[Michael Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book, photographs and text. Not what I thought I was ordering, nor would I buy it if I found it in a bookstore, but it was engaging enough to occupy my mind for a quick readthrough. Not everyone's cuppa, but another example of Byrnes's amazing creativity.

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

great photos by Byrne. Better than most of the stuff he's released more recently.

[Aaron the Pink Donut · Rating 3 out of 5]

great book. David Byrne's 150+ page photo essay on the nature of art, religion, and life. The Sacred, much like art is a matter of context.

[Dave Haskins]

Art,Weirdness

[Haruna · Rating 5 out of 5]

there are so much learn to edit photographs, and words from this book. it is currently missing in my bookshelf... where is it? I need it.

[Usen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting visuals from around the world.