The Hall of Einar Sunday Recommendation #23

Hello and welcome to my Sunday Recommendation. Thanks for joining me. Every week I read great wildlife and nature books, stumble upon engrossing websites and hear wonderful new music. This is my chance to bring you carefully curated recommendations of all the best I’ve experienced – every Sunday.
If it’s folk, or independent, or about wildlife, nature or Orkney, I may love it, and so may you.

An Orkney Triptych – Book One

Erland Cooper and Alex Kozobolis

An Orkney Triptych - Erland Cooper - The Hall of Einar

This week I’ve been enjoying Book One of An Orkney Triptych by Erland Cooper and Alex Kozobolis. I’ve covered Erland Cooper‘s music in previous Sunday Recommendations. His music is supremely elegant and simple yet sophisticated, and well worth investigating for these troubled times. How about the book, though? It’s created with Alex Kozobolis, a talented photographer, composer and film-maker. Together they’ve created an A5 hard-backed book with photographs taken in Orkney. The cover is coloured as if it’s a quarter-bound book, with a deep yellow spine in tasteful mustard yellow, and a monochrome photograph of Yesnaby Castle. Book One has a map of Orkney on the endpapers and uses the same tone of yellow to highlight on the half-title and title pages. It’s clearly been well thought through.

An Orkney Triptych - Erland Cooper - The Hall of Einar

The photographs themselves are interesting and characterful. I particularly like the images which use extreme angular constricted views through objects at the scene beyond. There are views through windows, rock arches, between close buildings and through the narrow windows in a bird hide. It’s a recognisable style which is never overused. Throughout the book there’s a sensitive mix of Erland’s figure in the landscape and images of the isles, which gets the balance just right.

An Orkney Triptych - Erland Cooper - The Hall of Einar

Many of the images are grainy which simply adds to the atmosphere. None of them are over-processed.

Here’s Erland’s view:

“I’ve collaborated with Alex across my Orkney albums for several years now. Along with shooting 9 films, he has taken hundreds of photographs on our trips to the islands. It’s been a joy to curate these together into three rather special peedie books. An Orkney Triptych is a picture companion or travelogue. It holds memory while also showing Orkney through the lens of a different, perhaps more abstract perspective”

An Orkney Triptych - Erland Cooper - The Hall of Einar

It’s an enjoyable book to ponder and a pleasant object to hold in your hand. Highly recommended.

The first edition is now sold out, but Book Two in the series is now available on Erland’s Bandcamp. I’ve already ordered it. Will you?

That’s it for this week. I’ll be back with more recommendations of things you might adore next Sunday. In the meantime, I wish you a great week. Keep safe, everyone.

More Sunday Recommendations

Sunday Recommendation - Ninebarrow The Hall of Einar Sunday Recommendation #49 Hello and welcome to my Sunday Recommendation. Thanks for joining me. Every week I read great wildlife and nature books,… read more
Sunday Recommendation The Hall of Einar Sunday Recommendation #48 Hello and welcome to my Sunday Recommendation. Thanks for joining me. Every week I read great wildlife and nature books,… read more
Sunday Recommendation - I Burn But I Am Not Consumed by Alicia Bruce The Hall of Einar Sunday Recommendation #47 Hello and welcome to my Sunday Recommendation. Thanks for joining me. Every week I read great wildlife and nature books,… read more
Sunday Recommendation - The Ciderhouse Rebellion and Kirsty Merryn The Hall of Einar Sunday Recommendation #46 Hello and welcome to my Sunday Recommendation. Thanks for joining me. Every week I read great wildlife and nature books,… read more
Sunday Recommendation - Awakening by Imar The Hall of Einar Sunday Recommendation #45 Hello and welcome to my Sunday Recommendation. Thanks for joining me. Every week I read great wildlife and nature books,… read more
Sunday Recommendation RURA The Hall of Einar Sunday Recommendation #44 Hello and welcome to my Sunday Recommendation. Thanks for joining me. Every week I read great wildlife and nature books,… read more
Sunday Recommendation - Will Pound and Jenn Butterworth The Hall of Einar Sunday Recommendation #43 Hello and welcome to my Sunday Recommendation. Thanks for joining me. Every week I read great wildlife and nature books,… read more
Sunday Recommendation - Reg Meuross - Stolen From God The Hall of Einar Sunday Recommendation #42 Hello and welcome to my Sunday Recommendation. Thanks for joining me. Every week I read great wildlife and nature books,… read more
Sunday Recommendation - Joanne Coates - Daughters of the Soil The Hall of Einar Sunday Recommendation #41 Joanne Coates - Daughters of the Soil read more

Leave a Reply to emilyb557 Cancel reply