Known for her groundbreaking photographs of the interior lives of others, most famously her series The Sleepers and The Travelers, Elizabeth Heyert delves once again into the deepest emotional landscapes of strangers in her visionary new book Metamorphosis. Working with a trained hypnotherapist, Heyert takes us on a fascinating journey into the transcendent worlds of her subjects who after being hypnotized in her studio are photographed revisiting childhood memories or transforming themselves emotionally into animals, birds or other creatures unique to their subconscious fantasies. As a dramatic and extreme counterpoint, Heyert also photographs people who attain transcendence by allowing themselves to be mummified and rendered immobile. Unlike the subjects under hypnosis, who are naked in every sense of the word, the wrapped bodies are intentionally hidden and demobilized so the person within remains a mystery, with their profound inner experiences left to the imagination of the viewer. Impeccably reproduced, the photographs of rarely seen cyanotypes and color photogravures, as well as lush traditional gelatin silver prints, offer up layers of meaning well beyond their seductive beauty. Their physicality, allure and emotional impact are reminiscent of historical record or artifact, as each transformation comes to represent a timeless aspect of the human condition. 

 

Hardback, 88 Pages, first edition, 22 x 26 cm