American photographer Thomas Prior presents a haunting examination of contemporary existence in his new monograph "Slip Me the Master Key," which brings together images from two decades of commercial and personal work. The book explores both the horror and beauty of human achievement through 84 meticulously sequenced photographs, chosen from an initial edit of 9,500 images.
The collection serves as an epic survey of technology, environment, capitalism, and culture, with each image augmenting, undermining, or complicating our understanding of the modern world. Prior's work is guided by his pervading interest in the folly of humanity and how even our most beautiful actions are flawed and self-destructive. The result is both gorgeous and unsettling, permeated by a sense of dissonance, humor, and an eye for the uncanny.
What might appear far-ranging and disparate is actually an exacting investigation of the Anthropocene – a term describing an epoch in which human activity has become a planetary force of change. "This work is a small edit from an extensive archive, but in funneling so many different subjects and themes into a concise narrative, I've maybe got as close as I can to sharing the definition and intent of my work," Prior explains.
The photographer describes his subject matter as pivoting around the human capacity to make wondrous things while also being the means of creating desolation. "The work is framed around an exploration of my conflicting views on humanity – the actions we enact on each other and the consequences on the planet," Prior explains. "However, this is juxtaposed with a reverence for the beauty that we are capable of creating."
With his dissecting eye, Prior examines the slippage between progress and decay throughout the monograph. The book presents a carousel of immaculate compositions ranging from junkyards crammed with human detritus to abandoned vehicles in scenes of outstanding natural beauty. Images include fires raging and smoke billowing from the penthouse of a casino hotel, the demolition of monumental buildings, human figures silhouetted against the chaotic explosions of fireworks, and the usually unseen disorder behind newsreaders' desks.
The creeping sense of dystopian foreboding that pervades Prior's pictures is always offset by beauty and, with that beauty, a small glimmer of hope. "The subject matter I'm drawn to and my overall perspective have changed very little over the years," Prior continues. "This has been influenced by and entwined with my anxiety, fears, and obsessive compulsions, which have been at the foundation of my practice, dictating a perspective that is somewhat dark at times, but is also diffused with a sensitivity that invests a certain hope within the frame – a duality that exists in much of the work I create."
The book's enigmatic title came to Prior spontaneously one morning as he crossed the street, after eluding him for a long time. Taken from Bob Dylan's song "Up To Me," Prior immediately felt it to be the perfect rallying social plea. "It's referencing an ambling and relentless quest to find meaning, although possibly not being comfortable with that quest or understanding what that meaning might be," he explains. The book's green screen-style cover alludes to this idea – a portal mirroring that which is beautiful and meaningful, but that may also be hollow and damned.
Alongside investigating the current moment, Prior's work often seems to possess a prophetic quality. "Slip Me the Master Key" feels loaded with revelations and insight, like totemic symbols on a deck of tarot cards. Yet Prior himself attempts to keep distance from current events to avoid spiraling into what he describes as "agonizing darkness," and avoids dwelling too heavily on predictions for our future.
"My outlook is short and urgent," Prior concludes with characteristic bluntness. "Longer term, I think we're completely fucked." The monograph "Slip Me the Master Key" by Thomas Prior is published by Loose Joints and is available now.
