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Syria al-Assad

An award-winning photobook of the Assad monuments in Syria. Photographed by Oliver Hartung between 2007 and 2009, this work has now become a historic document.

Syria al-Assad

An award-winning photobook of the Assad monuments in Syria. Photographed by Oliver Hartung between 2007 and 2009, this work has now become a historic document.

1 Campaign |

Berlin/Leipzig, Germany

$6,783 USD $6,783 USD 107 backers

103% of $6,528 Fixed Goal Fixed Goal

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FAQ

Updates 7

Comments 7

The Project:

Syria Al-Assad is a typology of monuments and billboards erected to the greater honor of the Assad family, which has ruled Syria since 1971. Photographed between 2007 and 2009 all over Syria, they have probably by now become historic documents. A lot of the monuments are from the provinces of Dara´a, Idlib, Raqqah, Aleppo and Deir ez-Zor, which are at the centre of the present conflict and will by now be destroyed or transformed (e.g. by al Qaida, see video). Once ever-present and both, loved and hated, these objects used to be an essential part of public visual culture in Syria.

The series was first published online in 2012 on the New York Times Lens Blog. Recently, a selection of images was published in Foam Magazine #34 "Dummy" and Prefix Photo #28 "Monuments".

The Book:

The dummy version of the book has received widespread international attention: It was shortlisted for the Dummy Award 2012 of the 5th International Photobook Festival Kassel at Le Bal, Paris, for the Unseen Dummy Award 2012 of the Unseen Photo Fair in Amsterdam and for the prestigious Young Book Designers Award 2013 of the Stiftung Buchkunst, Frankfurt/Main.

The book will, for the first time, bring together in print around 60 of the most interesting monuments, complemented by a number of more personal motifs intended to break up the typological flow of the sequencing. Quite important are the English translations of the Arabic inscriptions. The photos themselves are deliberately devoid of political statements, in contrast to the design of the book and the chosen materials. A distinctive feature of the design is that all the photos are on the right-hand page and each page has perforations, so it can be torn out. As a result, the book resembles a tear-off calendar; text and image can be separated, images eliminated and the sequence adjusted. With most of the photographs taken from a driving car and with the foreground blurred, the impression of impermanence and uncertainty is even more pronounced.

The design and pre-press work are almost complete and the book will go into print straight after the campaign has ended. so you can expect to receive your copies by end of march.

Details: Approx. 120 pages with 60 colour photos / English translation of Arabic texts / Format: 220 x 280 mm with band / Photography, concept and design: Oliver Hartung / Soft cover/ Edition of 1000. Special limited edition of 30 signed and numbered copies with pigment print on baryta paper, size 30 x 20 cm.

»Thou, who was raised in the house of the glorious leader! Thou, who are higher than the highest! You, our hope! Faculty of Administration, Directorate of Administrative Affairs.« Between Idlib and Aleppo, 2009.

What the funding will be used for:

All the funding will go into the printing and binding of the book. The planned perforation is very ex-pensive, but it is crucial for the concept and design of the book. The design, translations and the pre-press work, such as colour corrections, were done by myself and friends to keep costs calculable. If the funding goal is surpassed, the extra funds will be used to ensure the highest quality or to add some more images and pages.

How you can support this campaign:

You can support this campaign by pre-ordering your personal signed copy or the special edition of the book, but I am also offering you a great selection of extras that are exclusive to this campaign, such as a personal postcard from Iran, a set of posters and a choice of original limited edition prints of the highest archival quality at low, discounted rates.

I am very thankful for ANY support you can give, so if you can´t spend any money (and I know that situation), you can still help a great deal by showing that you care and help sharing and promoting the campaign to your friends and colleagues!

For more information about my work visit my website or watch this documentary on German television about my recent exhibition at Stadthaus Ulm 2013.

Your Rewards:

Get your signed copy of Syria al-Assad or the special, limited edition with pigment-print, size 30 x 20 cm. Early orders get lowest numbers!

Get your signed copy of Syria al-Assad plus a signed copy of The Arabian Monument, published 2012.

Get a set of three A1 offset-prints with motifs from The Arabian Monument (street-lamps from Syria, 2009). The last 25 copies from the 2010 Berlin exhibition.

Portraits from Damascus, 2009. Get two limited edition pigment-prints on baryta paper size 20 x 30 cm, edition of 5.

Get a set of 4 hand-printed C-Prints from The Arabian Monument (all motifs from Jordan, 2009), size 28 x 22 cm, edition of 5.

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Choose your Perk

Extra international shipping

$5 USD

€5 EUR

Please purchase this additional perk for international shipping, if mentioned in the description.

Estimated Shipping

March 2014

4 out of 150 of claimed

Thank-you postcard from Iran

$11 USD

€10 EUR

You will receive a handwritten thank-you postcard from my next trip to Iran (planned for April 2014). Including shipping worldwide.

Estimated Shipping

April 2014

8 out of 50 of claimed

Syria al-Assad, signed

$33 USD

€30 EUR

Get your personal signed copy of Syria al-Assad. Including shipping in Germany. For international shipping please purchase extra perk of € 5.

Estimated Shipping

March 2014

52 out of 120 of claimed

+ The Arabian Monument

$65 USD

€60 EUR

Get your signed copy of Syria al-Assad plus a signed copy of The Arabian Monument (published 2012 by the Greenbox Berlin). Including shipping in Germany. For international shipping please purchase extra perk of € 5.

Estimated Shipping

March 2014

24 out of 50 of claimed

Set of 3 posters

$87 USD

€80 EUR

Get a set of three A1 offset-prints with motifs from The Arabian Monument (Syrian street-lamps). The last copies from the 2010 Berlin exhibition! Including shipping in Germany. For international shipping please purchase extra perk of € 5.

Estimated Shipping

March 2014

2 out of 25 of claimed

Syria al-Assad Special Edition

$163 USD

€150 EUR

Get your signed copy of Syria al-Assad (numbered 1-30) plus a limited edition pigment print size 30 x 20 cm on baryta paper. Early orders get lowest numbers! Including shipping worldwide.

Estimated Shipping

March 2014

5 out of 30 of claimed

2 Portraits from Damascus

$272 USD

€250 EUR

Get two limited edition pigment-prints on baryta paper, size 20 x 30 cm, edition of 5. Motifs: Policeman, Boy (both: Damascus, 2009). Including shipping worldwide.

Estimated Shipping

March 2014

1 out of 5 of claimed