The Order of Things

Presented in a novel and original 'carousel' binding, 'The Order of Things' is a collection of new and unseen work from photographer Norbert Schoerner, commissioned exclusively for Phaidon Press.

Incorporating images from Japan and London, alongside a series of portraits and personal photographic stories, it is a book that transforms itself into a surrealist style game without a beginning or an end.

A book without boards, this publication is bound so that the pages fan out into a circle creating a continuous flow of images.

Throughout, stories and images fold into one another to form a bizarre narrative and kaleidoscopic journey that defines Schoerner's photographic style.

As established on titles as diverse as; The Face, I-d, Dazed & Confused, Arena, Arena Homme Plus, Details, Vogue, New York Time Magazine, Big Magazine, Visionnaire and his extensive advertising work for Levis, Jigsaw, Nike and Prada.

Designed by David James, the Art Director of Prada, the concept for 'The Order of Things' is a book with an endless circle or carousel with no beginning or end, packaged in a clear slipcase so that the interior contents of the book can be clearly viewed. Once the book is taken from its slipcase it is then turned onto its end so that all the pages fan out from the spine into a 360 degrees book.

There is therefore no clear beginning or end to the book: you can begin anywhere and continue round and round.

In addition, because the book fans open the imagery within may be seen from all sides.

Close attention has been paid to the way this book is edited, focussing not simply on the image content but also on colour.

This has created a book that in part functions as a colour wheel, magnifying the visual impact of its 3-dimensional display.

This compliments the manner in which Schoerner creates his imagery which is often a digitally manipulated composition of several photographs merged together to create a single image.

The Order of Things brings together a substantial body of new work produced in this fashion.

The subject matter is decidedly personal and dreamlike and includes images such as free floating burnt toast, explosions, artificial snowstorms, flower arrangements, food collages, miniature worlds and an extensive body of bizarre portraiture including various hidden self portraits.