Thomas Allen: uncovered

In this darkly delightful first monograph--also a board book--Thomas Allen selects the pulpiest of pulp paperbacks and then lovingly slices out a figure from the cover, gently folds it into position and constructs a witty and oftentimes suggestive scene around it. In "Thirst," a sultry dame reaches from her cover toward a guy with a bottle on a nearby volume; in "Teeter," a man careens toward the edge of a stack of paperbacks, ready to topple. Dogs howl; ships sail; punches fly. Inspired by a love of pop-up books, Hollywood noir, westerns and pulp fiction, Allen revels in the different roles he must play to create his scenarios: "In addition to being a photographer, I play talent scout, casting director, stage manager, lighting supervisor and film editor." Once his original tableaux are perfectly composed, he photographs them in shallow focus, rendering his prints with the dreamy effect of the classic View-Master stereoscopic toy, which has been a long-time inspiration. From femmes fatales to hard-boiled gumshoes, Allen's newly enlivened characters seem to burst from the hefty boards of this almost toylike book, apparently unable to contain themselves. Uncovered includes an introduction by Chip Kidd, one of the most innovative graphic designers working today. Kidd has used Allen's work in many cover designs, including a series of James Ellroy novels.

"This enchanting book presents amusing tableaux of fictional characters, each coming to life with a quiet yet determined energy... These filmic scenes, set up and recorded with a 4 x 5 camera, have a quality of child-like make-believe, yet with a sophistication that enables the tales to take on a life beyond the page... With its witty narratives, it really is a delightful object that you want to return to again and again." -- Debra Klomp Ching -- Photo District News

"Allen's work is inspired by a love of pop-up books; he photographs these engaging tableaux in shallow focus -- imbuing his full color prints with the dreamy effect of a stereoscopic toy -- and expands the physical format of the paperback book into an otherwordly fantasy." --Flak Photo

"Looked at individually, each image is notable as much for its craft as for its narrative; as a collection they seem an allegory of a pop-history with gravity we don't witness enough today." -- Jay Gardner --Picture Magazine

"Old-school film noir, pulp fiction, and pop-up books coalesce beautifully in tableaux in photographer Thomas Allen's first monograph, Uncovered." -- Jared Paul Stern --BlackBook

"Vampish vixens, drunken sailors, bust-ups and shoot-outs are some of the entertaining images that can be found in this photographic homage to the golden age of pulp fiction, film noir and cult westerns. Thomas Allen cuts away and twists old paperbacks into these subverted narratives, bursting out of pages that almost slide off the edge of the mantelpiece." --The Bookseller