From the collaboration between Bryan Schutmaat and American writer Ashlyn Davis comes ‘Islands of the Blest’, a historical exploration of American expansion in the West. Following the trail of images found in the public digital archives of the United States Library of Congress and the United States Geological Survey, the authors have explored the history of the landscapes of the American West.

The book grew out of the groundwork for the exhibition that later led to the publication of ‘Grays the Mountain Sends’ (Silas Finch, 2013): looking for historical photographs of the American West to exhibit, the artistic couple found themselves on a long road trip from West Texas, through New Mexico, Utah and Arizona, with readings from American history books as soundtrack.

Davis, speaking of ‘Islands of the Blest’, says: “The photos really did a lot of the speaking and we did a lot of the listening to them and to each other before the more nuanced narratives or stanzas began to emerge. I think that patience is integral to the photobook form – it’s like meditating.”.