What fields of view influence our orientations to photographic representations of Central Illinois? Are we oriented by geographical boundaries, the rhythms of agricultural landscapes, processes of collective myth-making, lived connections to land and place, or all of the above? How might the pre-existing depth of field shape our meaning-making processes? How do visual imaginaries, tracing their way back to midwestern industrialization as portrayed in the Regionalist Art Movement, or themes explored in the context of the Farm Security Administration and the New Deal Works Progress Administration documentation, or the ever-present “road trip” tropes shape visual practices? Often the focus of such experiences remains voyeuristic, capturing a kind of carnival of oddities as one passes from one point to another. What are “our” focal points? Are there unique perspectives speaking from the “inside” to “out” that might contrast prior imaginaries? What processes can allow one to speak from the “inside”? Is there a circle of confusion? A unique, if blurred, spot, that is, an indistinctness between the visual representations of the past, what is contemporary, and what is the future that is now shaping contemporary photography in Central Illinois?

Immaterial Books is an independent publisher of contemporary art and literature on photo media and its practice, based in Champaign, Illinois. Building community among both established and newcomers to the field of photography is a central goal of the press that fits into the commitment to regional approaches and projects.