Nadia Lee Cohen and Scarlett Carlos Clarke’s Podunk photobook presents a collaborative body of work composed of 128 black-and-white stills extracted from Super 8 film. Shot in Lancaster, California, the project captures staged scenes set within a remote desert environment, featuring Cohen as the central subject across a series of constructed domestic settings. The images depict ambiguous relationships and character roles, with recurring motifs of femininity, motherhood, and unconventional family structures.
The book is published by IDEA Books in a comb-bound format with black card covers and white silkscreen lettering. The project was developed through a spontaneous shooting process, with stills selected from filmed sequences rather than staged photography sessions. The release was accompanied by a launch event at Dover Street Market Ginza in Tokyo, marking its first public presentation.
Surreal Photobook Releases
Podunk Photobook by Nadia Lee Cohen and Scarlett Carlos Clarke Launches
Trend Themes
1. Analog Aesthetic Revival - The renewed preference for Super 8 and silkscreen finishes signals opportunities for niche products that fuse tactile, low-fidelity processes with collectible design.
2. Hybrid Photo-film Practices - By sourcing stills from motion footage rather than staged shoots, creators can explore new narrative sequencing and archival formats that blur cinematic and photographic production workflows.
3. Constructed Domesticity Narratives - Recurring staged domestic scenes and ambiguous family roles point toward expanded storytelling formats that interrogate and repurpose domestic iconography for cultural critique.
Industry Implications
1. Independent Publishing - Small presses and boutique bookmakers may be transformed by demand for limited-run, craft-bound photobooks that emphasize materiality and artist collaboration.
2. Luxury Retail Experiences - Galeries and high-end retailers incorporating artist launches and immersive events can pioneer experiential commerce models that merge product drops with cultural programming.
3. Film-to-print Production - Labs and production houses converting motion footage into curated still editions stand to redefine service offerings around bespoke sequencing, grading, and archival print workflows.