David Billet and Ian Kline took the photos of Rabbit / Hare during a road trip
trip to Texas. And right away, this statement will create a certain set
expectations among viewers of this book. Perhaps no other
region of the United States does not have such a set of preconceived ideas. So
Yes: you will see ten-gallon hats, a wayward Confederate flag.
Even a baptism in a watering hole. But the real glory of Rabbit/Hare is the
certainty with which its creators have defied easy stereotypes: these
images do not derive their palpable life from a simple subject. In this book, the
Butterflies and back hairs are both magical and mundane, as it turns out
must. The qualities of light are also qualities of sensitivity.
The humans in the photos are gently enjoying the pleasures of riding
horse, smoking cigarettes or exposing their skin to the sun and air. And
Similarly we see Billet and Kline delighting in their intuition and the
quality of their investigation. They share not only their pleasure in seeing a
cat or a bird enjoy the light, but (in a way) also the
pleasure even felt by the animal itself. We understand the communion
intimate physique of some motley street wrestlers not because of the
description but rather because of the evocation of sweat and muscles and
asphalt. Rabbit/Hare will tell us nothing about how to evaluate a state, a
region or a particular electorate. What we see instead is
how to meet the world with an open mind and heart and make this
encounter something lasting.
