Empire - (Paperback)

About the Book

Working in a forensic fashion, Hyers and Mebane photographed the objects they encountered--stoves, family photographs, computers, trophies and the like.

Book Synopsis

Between 2004 and 2007, American photographers Martin Hyers and Will Mebane made a series of road trips through the American South, West and East to create a photographic archive of objects. The project yielded more than 9,000 photographs captured in 25 states.

Martin Hyers is one-half of Gentl & Hyers, a New York based photography
team that met while studying photography at Parson's School of Design. They have been working together since 1993; photographing still life, food, beauty, fashion, interiors & travel for a wide array of editorial and advertising clients. In addition to this commercial work, Hyers is currently involved in an ongoing personal photography project with fellow photographer William Mebane.

A resident of Brooklyn, NY, William Mebane works professionally as a photographer on a wide range of fine-art, commercial and editorial assignments. His work has been exhibited internationally at spaces such as The Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago, published by The New York Times Magazine and used in advertising campaigns for brands such as Eileen Fisher and Newcastle. His work has been featured online with new media platforms such as tinyvices.com and Humble Arts.

Review Quotes

"Like the photos of William Eggleston or Stephen Shore, these images can't help but discover visual pleasure among the surfaces of vernacular culture...",
- ARTnews, June 19, 2014
"... The images of Hyers and Mebane are highly compelling, and the book is recommended to anyone interested in the history of street photography or American visual culture ...",
- Library Journal, July 2, 2014