Believing that the best things in life happen by accident could be seen as a relatively aimless way to live one's life, but Harry Pearce proves a point with the enthralling images in his new monograph Eating with the Eyes. The tome features a haphazard world of photographs, taken spontaneously during his extensive travels.
Known initially as graphic designer and for his work at Pentagram, Pearce has been an avid photographer since his father gifted him a camera as a child. A world away from his visual wordplay book Conundrums, Eating with the Eyes sends the viewer to a more intimate place, channelling Pearce’s journeys to Italy, Havana, Beijing and beyond.
The results are mesmerising, Pearce manages to create accidental art from surprising forms like dirt, splashed paint and eroded forms. Sometimes dark and mysterious, Pearce gives these abandoned objects extraordinary attention and a story of their own.
The mystery in each image is short-lived, as the photographs are captioned with location details, placing them specifically within Pearce’s visual pilgrimage. The narrative is taken further still, as he often describes the situation surrounding the picture: ‘an exquisite pile of bricks from Beijing Hutong... they have the spirit of Lao Tzu imbued in them’, for example.
Pearce finds abstract patterns in drain covers and street lines in Hong Kong, and subtle beauties in corroded pipework and destroyed plaster in Puglia. Imbued with a calming, anecdotal sentiment, ‘this book is visual meditation’, he explains.
Compiled as a visual narrative, the book chronicles Pearce's travels through Italy, Havana, Beijing and beyond. Pictured: luminescent emerald scarves up against the Great Wall in Beijing. Pearce describes how he couldn't capture the sheer intensity of colour on camera
Pearce goes beyond the picture to tell a story; here he notes that three men were sitting on these chairs before this image was taken – their presence seemed to remain after they had left
Random letterforms in Delhi – '... the letterforms had been moved, creating a fantastic moment, the spirit of which is at the heart of so much of this book'.
Cultural histories are also explored in the book's narrative. Pictured: Pearce explains the different cultural meanings these hand prints hold between Jerusalem – where they were made – and in India, where such marks celebrate the beginning of a new home
Beams from the ceiling of a collapsed roof in North Adams, Massachusetts – 'I see ancient hills, pathways with people in exodus,' Pearce notes
His narrative manages to create accidental art from surprising forms like dirt, splashed paint and eroded forms. Pictured: an image of water pipes taken during his first visit to Hong Kong
Pictured left: a clipped and tied tarpaulin in Hong Kong. Right: silk, iron and rubber create an erotic moment in Sham Shui Po
‘This book is visual meditation’ say Pearce. Pictured: a mannequin, found pressed up against an iron grill in Porto
INFORMATION
Eating With The Eyes, by Harry Pearce, £39.95, published by Unit Editions. For more information, visit the publisher’s website
Photography: Harry Pearce. Design: Pentagram
-
Sandbox Films’ New York office nods to the Golden Age of Hollywood with a film noir settingSandbox Films, a Manhattan-based production company, gets an interior overhaul inspired by European art-deco cinema
-
This 1970s brutalist house in Belgium has a new life as a designer’s home and studio
1970s brutalist house Villa Stuyven is now home to creative couple Bram Kerkhofs and Lore Baeyens, providing a concrete-lined backdrop to a life of design and collaboration
-
The sunset lamp by Mandalaki adds an ethereal glow to any room
Halo Edition, the original sunset light by Mandalaki, celebrates its anniversary with an exclusive limited collection
-
Photo book explores the messy, magical mundanity of new motherhood
‘Sorry I Gave Birth I Disappeared But Now I’m Back’ by photographer Andi Galdi Vinko explores new motherhood in all its messy, beautiful reality
-
Best contemporary art books: a guide for 2023
From maverick memoirs to topical tomes, turn over a new leaf with the Wallpaper* arts desk’s pick of new releases and all-time favourite art books
-
The best photography books for your coffee table
Flick through, mull over and deep-dive into the best photography books on the market, from our shelves to you
-
Pentagram’s box set design shines a light on The Dark Side Of The Moon as it hits 50
Harry Pearce and Jon Marshall of Pentagram have created a mighty box set to mark half a century of Pink Floyd’s iconic album, released 50 years ago today
-
Behind the scenes of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining: new book charts the making of a horror icon
Published in February 2023 by Taschen, a new collector's book will go behind the scenes of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, charting the unseen making of a film that defined the horror genre
-
Brad Walls’ aerial view transforms pools into artwork
Aerial photographer Brad Walls provides a crisp conclusion to the summer months with new book Pools From Above – you’ll want to dive right in
-
K-style: understanding the rise of Korea’s creative golden age
Spanning music, fashion, design and food, a new book, Make Break Remix explores the global rise and rise of Korean culture
-
‘Punk ballerina’ Karole Armitage debuts a genre-bending show in New York
Karole Armitage, the choreographer behind Madonna’s Vogue video and Marc Jacobs’ A/W 2021 show, debuts A Pandemic Notebook at New York Live Arts
