The Fabric of Raleigh and The Fabric of Durham Series
The Fabric of Raleigh and The Fabric of Durham are two series of photographic portraits of people in Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina. Ordinary citizens, who through their talents, passions and work, together do extraordinary things, for our community and for each other.
The Fabric of Raleigh/The Fabric of Durham high quality, full-color hardcover book is the culmination of the making of these series.
With a strong passion for telling people’s stories through portraiture, I wanted to document - in an impromptu and genuine way – these people, who make our cities grow, diverse, vibrant and creative.
So, a summer day in 2015 and with the help of an assistant, I loaded my car with one camera, one lens, one backdrop and one flash, and headed out to see who I may find.
I found fascinating people.
I think we made five portraits that first afternoon, and it was . . . magical. It was unscripted and authentic, without the burden of planning or preparation. These series were born that day.
"The Fabric of Raleigh" and "The Fabric of Durham" Book
The Fabric of Raleigh/The Fabric of Durham book is the culmination of making these portraits over the past two years.
Photographed in a style that combines the quality of studio portraiture with the authenticity of street photography, the book consists of more than 40 portraits, from firefighters and pastors, cobblers to baristas, ballet dancers to construction workers.
In his The Fabric of Raleigh series, Christer Berg has created a fascinating portrait of our city through the faces of the people who make it their home and their workplace. With his intrepid spirit, open mind, extraordinary photographic talent, and an ability to meet people where they are, as they are; Christer sees their humanity and their purpose alike.
~ Liza Roberts, Editor and General Manager, Walter Magazine
Accompanying the more than 40 portraits are behind-the-scenes photos from the making of the portraits, and many essays, stories and quotes.
Each of the series will have its own front cover, making it a reversible book – a so-called tête-bêche format. Thus, as both the Raleigh and Durham series are of equal importance and deserve their own front cover, the two series meet in the middle, mirrored!
Why a Kickstarter Campaign and Why Do I Need Your Support?
In today's digital age, I still absolutely love actual photographic prints and the beauty and tactile feedback of photography books. As the The Fabric of Raleigh and The Fabric of Durham series and book are a celebration of the people who in their own ways contribute to our community, I want to present them in the best and most beautiful way possible. To me, that is through a beautiful, high-quality hardcover book, printed and bound to last and be cherished for years to come.
And to do this, I need your help.
Producing an offset-printed book (meaning instead of on-demand digital printing, the book will be produced using actual plates and printing presses for the highest quality reproduction), on quality paper, sewn together instead of glued, and between sturdy hardcovers is expensive. The good news is, with your support I can produce a larger number of books, which reduces the cost per book and makes it economically possible to offer it at a reasonable price.
By being a backer of The Fabric of Raleigh/The Fabric of Durham book you are not only backing the book, you are part of something bigger: you are backing the entire series and sharing with me the importance and value of shining a light on our community and its people.
What Do I Get as a Book Backer?
As a book backer, you will receive a beautiful, high quality hardcover book at a great backer discount (MSRP $59.50). The book has more than 40 portrait spreads, plus behind-the-scenes shots from the making of the series, quotes from many of the subjects, and essays and stories to help further illustrate the series and the people documented
The book will be offset printed in full color, on thick art paper. The casebound (“hardcover”) book will have a trim size of 11 3/4″ tall by 9″ wide (making the book’s cover about 12” tall by 9 1/8” wide).
The images will be reproduced via full color offset printing on high-end 102 lb. GardaPat matte coated paper which assures the highest possible quality. The book will have 108 pages (* see Stretch Goal below).
The book will be Smyth sewn instead of glued, for strength, durability and to make it easier for the spreads to open and lie flat.
Beautiful and Fun Stuff Beyond the Book
In addition to the book, a limited-edition series of 8x10” signed prints from the series will be produced and shipped with 100 of the books. The backers at this level will be able to select which portrait from the series they would like to have.
A limited set of four (two from each of the Raleigh and Durham series) so-called broadsides, high-quality art posters, each featuring a unique set of three portraits from the series will also be produced. The poster’s accompanying texts are letterpress-printed by hand by Horse & Buggy Press.
Each broadside is 17x22” in size, limited to an edition of only 25, and signed and numbered by Christer.
Other backer options include having your very own (or someone you love) portrait made by Christer, “The Fabric of” style, to really immerse yourself in the series, and fun and engaging “The Fabric of” talks for groups, companies and organizations about the series’ why, what, how and who!
Stretch Goal
If the funding reaches $18,000 I will be able to increase the number of pages in the book from 108 to 120. That means more portraits, more essays, stories and quotes – an even better book for everyone who has pledged at the book level and above!
A Final Few Words
The Fabric of Raleigh/The Fabric of Durham project and series have been a self-funded venture by me since their inception a couple of years ago. I am humbled and full of gratitude if you will consider funding this book, and with your pledge join me on this wonderful journey - through my portraits and the accompanying stories meet, appreciate and celebrate the many fascinating people who together make up the fabric of our community.
Risks and challenges
I'm very excited and confident about this project. To make the book become the very best it can be, I have engaged a team of very competent, skilled and dedicated people to help me out:
Dave Wofford of Horse & Buggy Press, who with more than 20 years of book design and publishing is heading up our book design and layout process.
Sarah Almond, an experienced publishing professional who has been engaged to go through all texts and quotes with a fine-toothed comb to help make sure the essays, quotes, and my many inspired musings also translate to proper, understandable English.
Finally, and after requesting multiple bids and looking at options and samples, David Wofford and I settled on using Friesens, Canada's largest printer of hardcover books, to offset print and bind the book on high quality paper. We have already received press proofs on the actual paper chosen, so we know exactly how the photographs and texts will come out and what tweaks, if any, are needed to make the book look awesome.
We have chosen realistic fulfillment deadlines and while the challenges with producing a physical book are well-known, with this experienced and awesome team involved, we're prepared for them.
I feel confident that, with your help and support, we will make this happen and the result will be fantastic!
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Funding period
- (30 days)