The simple and understated title of this issue was the prompt given to contributing artists and writers. Their goal was to look beyond the obvious and ordinary connections between the idea of “the wild” and the accordant visual representations. Could a series of portraits be considered wild? Could abstract, process-driven images be considered wild? Did photographs of wild nature fit within this issue without being cliché?

In addition, Nomadic Bookshelf — a transitory bookstore dedicated to disseminating photobooks throughout the country through book fairs and pop-up events — was invited to select five photographers for The Wild with no limitations or parameters. This process, involving chance and the unknown, was wild in and of itself. The work selected from Papersafe's call and the work chosen by Nomadic Bookshelf exist seamlessly within this volume; together the selections create a cohesive visual exploration of the theme.

Photographs and writing by Sophie Barbasch, Chris Berntsen, Caiti Borruso, Anne Campbell, Vivian Ewing, Jacob Koestler, Ian Lewandowski, Noelle McCleaf, Stephanie Noritz, Ke Peng, Jenny Riffle, Leonard Suryajaya.

Papersafe is a biannual publication devoted to analog photography. Each issue covers a single subject through photographs and thoughtful, relevant texts.

Designed by Trevor Powers

Published by CatLABS / Omer Hecht, 2016
Printed in a hand-numbered edition of 75

92 pages, full color, 8 × 10 inches
[12 oz]