Clare Richardson
Harlemville
HC 29x24cm 42pp
Steidl-Mack 2003
Harlemville is a small community in North America which aheres to the philosophical writings of the Austrian Philosopher, Rudolf Steiner, and his Waldorf schooling system. The community encourages freedom of expression, creativity and imagination, which in turn imbues an uninhibited self-confidence and self-awareness that is rarely present in mainstream American society.
Richardson spent 24 month observing the community first-hand and found their reverence for nature and the "confident quietness" of the place captivating. With their quite, formal clarity, her images evoke a nostalgic sense of innocence and Harlemville appears idyllic in its radical optimism.