FEATURE:
Kate Bush: Beautiful Phenomena
IN THIS PHOTO: A sample photographic extract from Gered Mankowitz’s WOW!
Turning the Pages of Gered Mankowitz’s WOW! and Guido Harari’s The Kate Inside
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ONE can forgive…
PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari
another Kate Bush feature so close to the last one. Whilst my last feature related to her track, Breathing, turning forty, this is more of a general appreciation. Actually, that is slightly off the mark; there is a timeliness. I have written before about Kate Bush in front of the camera. I have Kate: Inside the Rainbow, which is a collection of photos and notes from her brother, John Carder Bush. That book was released in 2015, and you can buy it here. Carder Bush was interviewed about the book, and it is a fantastically personal and revealing look at a musical genius from childhood to the current time. I think it is amazing there are several photographic collections and books dedicated to Kate Bush. Clearly, there is something about her that drew photographers in and made for incredible collaborations. I – like all of Bush’s fans – have been waiting Gered Mankowitz’s book, Kate Bush: Symphony of You. It was due last year (I am not sure why the release was delayed), and it is a collection of photographs that many people have not seen:
“From the blurb: “Symphony of You is a complete celebration of Kate Bush – her music, her look, her impact, her creativity. Showcasing hundreds of Gered Mankowitz’s breathtaking photographs from the early years of Kate’s career, the majority of the images in this book have never been seen outside of the author’s own private works. The book also features essays from authors across a number of disciplines – from best-selling novelists and award-winning musicians to academics – offering their opinions on how Kate has shaped the cultural landscape. Symphony of You is a truly special collection, and a homage to a unique artist”
IN THIS PHOTO: Guido Harari (left) with Kate Bush and Lindsey Kemp/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari
You can pre-order the book, and I am not sure whether the coronavirus crisis will delay the release date in September – one hopes not. Looking at the Kate Bush News website, and there has been this whisper of another possible book emerging:
“Also in the works is a new book by photographer Max Browne, no publishing date yet. He took some great photos of Kate on her 1979 tour – see examples at his site here”.
Look at Max Browne’s website here that includes some gorgeous shots of Bush as she performed on that ground-breaking 1979 tour. I would love to see a photo book, as her Tour of Life was such a visual feast; this young performer creating something magnificent on stage. I will come to a Gered Mankowitz book that I yearn to own – I think the upcoming book from him is sort of a reduced and smaller version of the one I will highlight…it will all make sense. I am writing this feature as Kate Bush, more than most artists who have ever come, manages to steal the heart when she is being photographed. The fact that there are books with images of her shows that, truly, she had this magnetic quality. Look online for images of her, and one is smitten and intrigued by the sheer range of images from 1978 through to 2011. There are two very important – and mighty expensive – volumes of photography that I wanted to highlight; it is a sense of Bush being turned into works of art.
PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari
I love a normal hardback book of photographs, and Kate Bush: Symphony of You will be a real treat for fans of Kate Bush and newcomers alike. The Kate Inside is Guido Harari’s photos of Bush from 1982-1993 (that covers the release of The Dreaming (1982), Hounds of Love (1985), The Sensual World (1989), and The Red Shoes (1993). You can check out the Facebook page that gives more details about the book/project; this is something that so many fans want to possess. Not only do we get these rare and incredible photos documenting an artist who was, in the period between 1982-1993, one of the most in-demand and popular artists in the country. Go to the Wall of Sound Gallery, and one can marvel:
“The Kate Inside, Guido Harari’s lavish tribute to one of the world’s greatest music geniuses, is finally happening to ya!
As you know, Guido’s collaboration with Kate Bush spans from 1982 to 1993. During that period he was invited by Kate to shoot her official press photos for landmark albums like Hounds Of Love, The Sensual World and The Red Shoes, including a completely never-before-seen reportage on the set of Kate’s film The Line, The Cross & The Curve.
Accompanied by Guido’s own commentary, The Kate Inside is packed with over 300 photographs from his extensive Kate Bush archives. They include all of Guido’s classic images of Kate, a wealth of outtakes, contact sheets, unseen photographs and other materials (including test Polaroids and personal notes by Kate) that are showcased here for the first time.
Such an expensive project has been made possible by a crowdfunding we’ve launched from this website in September 2015. The campaign was successfully completed on March 31, 2016. Our heartfelt thanks have gone to everyone who believed in our project: their names are featured in a special "Acknowledgments" section in the book.
THE BOOK
DELUXE EDITION (copies 1-350) - 520€
REGULAR EDITION (copies 351-1500) - 120€
The Kate Inside is a limited edition book of 1500 copies worldwide. It's available both as a Deluxe Edition (copies numbered 1-350, signed by Guido Harari and Lindsay Kemp) and a Regular one (copies numbered 351-1500, signed by Guido).
The 240 pages hard-bound book measures an awesome 29x39cm (11"x15" ca) and has been printed on heavy-weight paper and bound by Grafiche Milani, the master printers in Milano who print luxurious editions for many major international publishers.
THE DELUXE EDITION
The Deluxe Edition is limited to the first 350 copies, all personally signed by both Guido and Kate’s legendary mentor Lindsay Kemp, who has also written a special foreword for the book.
Presented in a solander slip case, the Deluxe feature extra pages!
It also includes a 24x30cm (10"x11") signed/numbered fine art pigment print (unique to this edition and unavailable elsewhere) as well as a set of 8 replica Polaroids (14x18cm/5,3"x7,3", unsigned and non editioned). These are replicas of the actual Polaroids used by Guido with Kate on the 1985 and 1989 shoots and have never been seen before. They are only available as part of the Deluxe Edition”.
PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari
The book is expensive, yes, but I have been seriously considering! One can get some of the photos online, but it is not the same as seeing the image large and in a book; the physical sensation of holding these images. Between 1982-1993, Bush transformed from this artist near her peak in 1982 (on The Dreaming) to her apex, Hounds of Love; into the rather difficult 1993 – The Red Shoes did not receive as much as love as it deserves…and the film, The Line, The Cross & The Curve, received some negative feedback (in addition, Bush broke up with her long-time boyfriend, Del Palmer, and her mother died (on 14th February, 1992). Kate Bush gave plenty of interviews during the time period Harari explores in his book, but there is something about photography that tells its own story – the whole story, as it were. Great volumes like The Kate Inside can be treasured and kept; it is almost like the photographic equivalent of vinyl. Rather than streaming through tracks, vinyl offers something real and more substantial. Likewise, a book of photographs is a wonderfully rich and engrossing thing; one can leaf through the pages, look at the images and imagine the scenes and conversations around the photo. There is another equally-impressive Kate Bush photographic monument that I am keen to own. Although Guido Harari’s The Kate Inside and Gered Mankowitz’s WOW! are not brand-new, they are both available and as relevant as ever! I am not sure whether Mankowitz’s Symphony of You will feature photos from WOW!, but I will be interested to see.
PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz
The period between 1978-1979, I think, is one of the most formative and important when we think of Kate Bush. Bush released The Kick Inside, her debut album, in 1978, and quickly followed that up with Lionheart later that year – and album that was not received as fondly. Bush then took her Tour of Life on the road in 1979. That period of less than two years was a frantic one for an artist who captured the curiosity of the world and was exploring just where her incredible passion and gift could take her. Whilst one can peruse WOW!’s photos online, the actual book itself is a work that is made with love and real commitment:
“WOW! Kate Bush by Gered Mankowitz features the very best work from Gered Mankowitz’s incredible 1978 / 1979 archive of Kate Bush photographs, with the majority of photographs previously unpublished. Each copy is personally signed by Gered Mankowitz.
As with all previous Ormond Yard Press volumes, it is a book on a spectacular scale: a hardcover volume housed in its own printed slipcase and measuring 24 inches high x 18 inches wide (60x45cm) when closed, 24 x 36 inches (60 x 90cm) when open, with 96 pages of photographs. The physical scale may be large, but the edition size for WOW! is reassuringly small – just 750 individually signed and numbered copies are available to collectors worldwide.
WOW! is in stock and shipping now
The final copies of WOW! to complete the edition are in stock
Quantities are limited so if you do want one, we recommend you put your order in to avoid disappointment.
WOW! costs £ 395 (plus overseas shipping if required.)
PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz
Why should you buy this book?
“Kate was a wonderful subject and I worked with her over several sessions throughout 1978 and into 79. She was always a delight and an inspiration to work with. I am immensely proud of the work I have done with her and will always be grateful to have been associated with such a gifted artist from the very beginning of her long and important career. I am tremendously excited to be launching WOW! and hope that it excites you too” Gered Mankowitz
WOW! is a book on a spectacular scale: an ultra-large-format 96 page limited edition hardcover which measures 24 inches high x 18 inches wide (60x45cm) when closed. When the book is open, a double page spread measures 24 inches high by 36 inches wide (60cm x 90cm). The physical size of WOW! may be large, but the edition size is reassuringly low. Just 750 are being offered for sale worldwide.
WOW! includes approximately 250 images, and contains the very best material from Gered Mankowitz’s archive of Kate Bush photographs. The vast majority of photographs are previously unpublished. The book is housed in a handsome printed slipcase, and each copy is personally signed by Gered.
WOW! defies the normal ‘coffee table’ convention. Much larger than a traditional coffee table volume, it is slim and elegant at the same time. WOW! is housed in a beautiful custom slipcase which reproduces the front and back book cover art. All our publications seek to redefine the book as more than just a book – and as a piece of art in its own right. With this in mind, the cover of the book and slipcase have been deliberately left free of text so that nothing detracts from the power of the images.
PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz
Why is this book important?
Why is this book important? Because something revelatory happens when a photograph is presented in a very large format like this. Hidden details come to light, and the power and impact of the image are magnified exponentially. Unless you go to a gallery and see a large format print on the wall, you can’t experience this. WOW! is like an entire art gallery exhibition that you get to take home and keep forever.
Our publishing arm, Ormond Yard Press, was established to bring to life a carefully curated series of spectacular large format limited edition photography books and has an express, and quite literal aim, of bringing you the bigger picture.
Each of our books focuses on a key moment or personality in the history of popular culture, and showcases the work of a photographer at the very top of his or her profession. We wanted to give these subjects the epic treatment they deserved, in a physical scale that was missing from traditional photo book publishing.
PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz
WOW! facts and figures
This ultra-large-format book measures a staggering 18 x 24 inches (45 x 60cm) when closed, and 36 x 24 inches (90 x 60cm) when open.
WOW! has 96 large format pages, with approximately 250 stunning black and white and colour photographs, reproduced in sizes up to 24×36 inches (60x90cm), together with an introductory essay by Gered Mankowitz, and is limited to 750 individually signed and numbered copies worldwide.
WOW! is housed in a custom protective slipcase, with front and back cover artwork showing two of Gered’s best loved photographs of Kate Bush.
An optional acrylic slide-in slide-out wall unit allows you to display WOW! on your wall”.
Whilst WOW! is another quite expensive book, it is worth owning if you are a fan of Kate Bush. I might have to choose between WOW!, and The Kate Inside when it comes to the big-money purchase, but I love how there are two works that catalogue different time periods in Kate Bush’s career. Some fans have bought WOW! - and the excitement of owning the book must be immense! Whilst we might see another Mankowitz book of Bush photographs in the autumn, there are these incredible works out in the ether already.
PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari
To finish off, I want to bring in an interview The Big Issue conducted with Mankowitz in 2014, as he promoted the collection of photos that he took of Bush between 1978-1979. Mankowitz discusses the shoot for the Wuthering Heights – and a famous leotard shot -; but he talks about Bush’s magnetism and sense of allure:
“She could just look at the camera you would melt. You sense that she was really special and felt Wuthering Heights was going to be a big hit and I know that EMI was going to really get behind it. What nobody knew was how huge she would be and how important.
I had worked with a lot of people who had become incredibly successful for one reason or another – The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, who had that same charisma and presence as Kate, as did Annie Lennox and Suzi Quattro. What you recognise is talent and charisma but that doesn’t necessarily turn into longevity.
We know you’re going to move from one single, one album to the next and hope that the artist and everything in their support structure around them is going to remain intact and supportive, and that the artist will build a fan base that is solid enough to support them.
The one thing that was very clear was here was a very individual and unique special artist. There’s always terrible pressure on people especially if your first record is a huge hit. I don’t think that any of her records have been as big as Wuthering Heights but she’s big enough, talented enough and clever enough not to be overwhelmed by the success.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush captured during the Wuthering Heights shoot in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz
She would appear to be completely in control of her career, and she’s managed to maintain her privacy. When she makes an appearance [in public] she’s thought about it, and considered it, and the response to it is always huge.
The one picture that in a way is inescapable is the pink leotard Wuthering Heights picture. It’s one of those pictures that become iconic and represents so much, and that doesn’t happen very often. It has a life of its own and it has energy. I think it’s a beautiful portrait of a very beautiful young woman.
There is no doubt about Kate Bush’s popularity and appeal from a photographic viewpoint. I think we often discuss Bush in terms of the music and her videos, but there are few articles shored up that spotlight photos of her and how stunning her photoshoots are. I have written a couple of articles, but as I am so enamoured of these vast works by Guido Harari and Gered Mankowitz (you can see some photos here). I wanted to talk about them and reiterate what a transfixing presence Kate Bush is when she is away from the music and giving us these iconic and memorable images. If you want a deeper understanding of Kate Bush, I would recommend The Kate Inside, and WOW! They might seem pricey – you get good value for money – but, as they are these illustrative and passionate photographic collects concerning one of music’s most original and beloved artists, I think they are…
WORTH the investment..