About this project
White Consultation Chair, Upper East Side. 2006
PITCH
Help support independent publishing!
I am pre-selling copies
of my first monograph, Singular Beauty, a photographic exploration of the world of cosmetic
surgery. The full-color, soft-cover publication includes 44 color
images, an essay, and an interview. It scheduled for a summer 2012
release by
the non-profit publishing project, Fw:, co-founded by Dutch graphic
designer, Hans Gremmen.
The book is limited to 700 copies and it will be distributed through the Fw:. As a backer you are guaranteed to receive an advance copy with any pledge of $45 or more (limited to 250 copies.) And every supporter will have their name included in the book in a special “partner” section as a thank you for making this book a reality.
Why support this project? By becoming our partner in the publication of the book, you are giving independent artists the means to take chances and to put creativity before commercial concerns
Color photocopy sample of the final publication
ABOUT the photographs
People
always ask why was I drawn to document the offices of cosmetic
surgeons. The original impetus was personal; I had a long history
working in the beauty industry and my own body-image demons. But the
project evolved into something much more than I had anticipated. In
2004, when I began shooting, cosmetic surgery was in the midst of its
largest increase in number of procedures in 15 years, and the US economy
was booming. Americans were embracing beauty enhancements like never
before--on television there were three reality shows about cosmetic
surgery--every major woman’s magazine had monthly article’s about the
latest and greatest procedures; even the New York Times was regularly
covering the industry. But shortly after I took the last image in the
series, in 2008, the financial crisis hit, and suddenly putting $10,000
in cosmetic surgery on a high-interest credit card looked less like an
expression of freedom and more like another symptom of the American
credit dependence. The final images have come to represent a moment in
our history where money, technology, and a new standard of beauty
collided.
White Consultation Bed, Washington DC. 2008
For a pledge of $125 receive a handmade 4 x 5 artist print, for $1000 a 16 x 20 or for $2500, a 30 x 37.5 editioned print.
Totebag designed by Hans Gremmen for Kickstarter backers
WHY KICKSTARTER?
When
the financial crisis hit in 2008 the book industry was deeply affected and getting your first book published went
from being difficult to almost impossible. As a result many publishers must ask the artist, gallery, or museum cover all or some of the
cost of production. Even with the explosion of self-publishing, the cost
of making books on a small-to-medium scale is considerable. But rather
than give up, many artists have begun to employ innovative forms of
publishing. The result has been an explosion in the number of photo
books being made, and some very exciting developments in design and
distribution.
Artists and publishers in the Netherlands have been at the forefront of this photo book reinvention. Dutch artists are making some of the best designed and most innovative books in the world right now--and, after struggling for three years to find the right publisher for this work, I was lucky enough to meet Dutch book designer and publisher Hans Gremmen. I am thrilled to be collaborating with him on this project. His has taken the raw materials of my project and created a beautiful and original book design.
The beauty of Kickstarter’s funding platform is that it allows me to take risks with the form of the book, and to collaborate with someone who is passionate and engaged in the project. For artists who cannot turn to family or the art world for financial backing, it is empowering them with the means to share their art with the world.
Every backer of $500 will receive a unique, signed Polaroid
About the artist
Cara
was one of the first photographers we developed a relationship with,
having seen her “Singular Beauty" project develop from its early stages.
She is one of few photographers who uses photography to foster
discussion on complex political issues with a delicacy that avoids dogmatism or heavy handedness. We would highly recommend anyone with the means to contribute to her career and practice.
--Amani Olu and Jon Feinstein. Founders, Humble Arts Foundation
Beauty
stalks us with a condescending eye. From television screens to
magazines, shop windows to billboards, there is hardly a face or figure
that hasn't been trimmed, polished, and reinvented to beleaguer us with
an increasingly unattainable paradigm of physical beauty. In her savvy,
new monograph, Cara Phillips explores the reassuring environments and
ominous implements of cosmetic surgery. Singular Beauty provides us with
a voyeuristic view into the pristine temples of physical transformation
while offering an insightful critique of our culture of narcissism.
--Michael Paris Mazzeo, Director of Michael Mazzeo Projects
Blue Before & After Room, Tribeca. 2007
Red Liposuction Machine, Orange County. 2007
FAQ
-
I have been following the development of Kickstarter since the NY Times first reported about them in 2009. As an artist that began my career just as the financial crisis hit, finding alternative forms of funding have been incredibly important. I also owe a huge part of my success to being a self-starter on the internet. When I gradated school I had almost no connections and my school had no post-graduate support system in the art world. So I started my own blog in 2007. It not only helped me get started in my career it led to some amazing relationships with my peers and other art professionals.
Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
250
Backers
$17,079
pledged of $15,800 goal
0
seconds to go
Funding Successful
This project successfully raised its funding goal on January 20.
Pledge $1 or more Pledge $1 or more
Your name listed as a supporter in the final publication
Pledge $5 or more Pledge $5 or more
A postcard from the book exclusively designed for backers by Hans Gremmen + your name listed as a supporter in final publication
Pledge $10 or more Pledge $10 or more
A PDF copy of the book + a postcard from the book exclusively designed for backers by Hans Gremmen + your name listed as a supporter in final publication
Pledge $25 or more Pledge $25 or more
A custom tote bag designed by Hans Gremmen specially for Kickstarter supporters (images coming soon) + a postcard from the book exclusively designed for backers by Hans Gremmen with a personal thanks + your name listed as a supporter in final publication
Pledge $45 or more Pledge $45 or more
Your very own copy of the FINAL BOOK with priority delivery + custom tote bag designed by Hans Gremmen specially for Kickstarter supporters + your name listed as a supporter in final publication
Pledge $75 or more Pledge $75 or more
A SIGNED copy of the final book publication with priority delivery + a custom tote bag designed by Hans Gremmen specially for Kickstarter supporters + your name listed as a supporter in final publication
Pledge $150 or more Pledge $150 or more
Your very own COPY of the final book publication with priority delivery + a custom tote bag designed by Hans Gremmen specially for Kickstarter supporters + a 4 x 5 artist's proof (print) of the book cover + your name listed as a supporter in final publication
Pledge $250 or more Pledge $250 or more
A book selected from the Fw: catalog by the book designer + a SIGNED copy of the final book publication with priority delivery + a custom tote bag designed by Hans Gremmen specially for Kickstarter supporters + your name listed as a supporter in final publication
Pledge $500 or more Pledge $500 or more
An original, 4 x 5 Polaroid from the project SIGNED by the artist + a SIGNED copy of the final book publication with priority delivery + a custom tote bag designed by Hans Gremmen specially for Kickstarter supporters + your name listed as a supporter in final publication
Pledge $1,000 or more Pledge $1,000 or more
A 16 x 20 print of one of four images from the book. Choose from the cover image, Brown Consultation Chair, Red Liposuction Machine, or Blue Before & After Room (see updates section for images) + SIGNED copy of the final book publication with priority delivery + your name listed as a supporter in final publication
Pledge $2,500 or more Pledge $2,500 or more
A 30 x 37.5 editioned c-print of the book cover image, SIGNED by the artist + a SIGNED copy of the final book publication with priority delivery + 5 books from the Fw: catalog + a custom tote bag designed by Hans Gremmen specially for Kickstarter supporters + your name listed as a supporter in final publication
Project By
Connected as Cara Phillips (842 friends)
About the artist: Cara Phillips was born in Detroit, MI, she lives and works in Brooklyn. After spending most of her life in the beauty industry--first as a child model then as a make-up artist in luxury department stores--she returned to Sarah Lawrence College to study photography. Her work has been exhibited and published internationally and it is in several private collections. Cara not only focuses on her own work, she also writes and curates. She is the co-founder of the online exhibition site, Women in Photography, and a member of the international photography photo group, POC Project.
About the publisher/designer: Hans Gremmen is a graphic designer of (photo-)books and co-founder of Fw:, a platform for Dutch Contemporary Photography. He is the editor of the books 'Empty Trashcan', 'Serendipity', 'Fake Flowers in Full Colour' (with photographer Jaap Scheeren) and 'The Mother Road'. Gremmen organizes workshops and gives lectures at various academies and universities in the Netherlands, Germany, France and Russia. At this point he is one of the 15 nominees for the 'Rotterdam Designprize 2011' The most prestigious design prize in the Netherlands.
