The Day-to-Day Life of Albert Hastings

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1568987048 ISBN 13: 9781568987040

Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press, 2007

When Albert Hastings was eighty-five years old, a photographer named KayLynn Deveney moved next door to his small flat  housed in an old Victorian in the town of Newport, Wales. KayLynn took notice of the small rituals and routines—gardening, laundry, grocery shopping—that made up Bert’s life. A friendship slowly developed and soon KayLynn began documenting parts of Bert’s day. Bert and KayLynn developed a simple yet effective rapport. With her photographs and his handwritten text, the pair began a project that became much more than a diary or an art project. It evolved into a poignant and profound chronicle of aging, living alone, and the small things that make up our daily lives and bring moments of happiness—a cup of tea, lying in the sun, a hot breakfast, a good whiskey. The book includes seventy-five photographs of Bert in his surroundings from his home and garden to the streets of Newport, all annotated in Bert’s own hand. In addition, Deveney has added a number of illustrations, such as poems written by Bert, his clock drawings, and his personal family photographs. The Day-to-Day Life of Albert Hastings gives the reader a glimpse into one man’s life. We can only imagine what stories are left untold, both in Bert’s life and the lives of those around us.

About the Author:

KayLynn Deveney is pursuing a PhD in photographic studies.

Review:

...we see moments from his day that reveal a chaming meticulousness...We don't learn everything about him from his small book of isolated moments from his last few years. Remarkably, though, we learn enough about this stranger to be interested in him, enough even, to love him. -- PDN, October 2007

An old man alone, at home. You'll find nothing less, and profoundly more in The Day-to-Day Life of Albert Hastings, photographer KayLynn Deveney's quietly moving late-life portrait. Hastings's handwritten captions create a revealing double perspective. -- O, The Oprah Magazine, September 2007