Michael Tyrrell - Monograph Response

The monograph that caught my attention after looking over dozens of collections at the library was Jet Lag, by photographer Chien-Chi Chang. Throughout this collection, Chang gives his audience an intimate look inside the life of a world traveller, depicting scenes of bustling airports, unmade hotel bedrooms, and the faces of dozens of aviation and hospitality workers. Chien-Chi Chang is a photographer native to Taiwan, currently 57 years old, working for a company called Magnum Photos. Over time, Chang’s photography work has earned him much acclaim, earning dozens of high-profile awards over the span of six years, including the World Press Photo Award. He currently resides in both New York City, and Taipei, Taiwan in present day. Every photo taken in this particular monograph was interestingly chosen to be black and white, potentially symbolizing the dull and arbitrary actions of frequent fliers. My favorite photo from the collection, however, is one taken outside the window of an airport featuring a strip of runway. It features a brush of horizontal light across the photograph essentially depicting a time laps upon a still image. This truly stood out to me as one can’t help but sit in awe at the innovation of flight. The fast paced tone of the photograph implants this idea of how special it is that we as humans can travel at such great speeds and distances in masses. The airport my family and I frequent most coming home is LAX, one of the largest and most traffic-burdened airports in the country. In my mind, I associate this airport with frustration, delays, and all around stress. In the case of Chang, however, it is interesting to see the depictions of traveling from a passive point of view. Through this monograph, the audience can observe the many faces, exotic locations, and the day-to-day events at airports around the world. While not every image sheds a positive light on traveling, it is effective in bringing in an unbiased perspective of what traveling is truly like. With the absence of emotions to cloud the experience of flying, the viewers of this monograph can see much clearer. The only true writing included in this monograph is the personal accounts of Chang over his years of traveling, inscribed with the title “On the Road”. In these short few pages, Chang discusses a variety of places he visits through his work, as he photographs danger in countries such as North Korea. He speaks of the overwhelming surveillance that has engulfed New York City and the United States following the events of 9/11. All in all, I am satisfied with my choice in monograph and would strongly recommend the collection to a peer.