What happens when you or someone close to you is diagnosed with an illness that can result in one’s demise? It often results in a tsunami of emotions, reeling from shock to realizing your or your friends won’t be here for each other’s milestones. The emotional toll this can take on one is immense, not only on the diagnosed but also on their caretakers. Something similar happened to artist Dimitri Staszewski when his close friend and artistic mentor, Thomas Mann, was diagnosed with cancer. Staszewski then decided to help Mann, now published as a visual memoir. Here’s a look at the empathetic photo book.
All images are by Dimitri Staszewski, courtesy of Workshop Arts. Used with permission.
For Mann, the diagnosis meant the end of his jewelry creation, and over the next three months, the artist began to pour his love into his artwork despite his diagnosis. Amidst this, Staszewski took a moment to document their shared physical and emotional space. Titled Close to the Bayou, the photo book is an exploration of artmaking, death, mentorship, and what is passed on through these processes.
The book is not only an homage to Mann’s creativity and dedication but also a reflection on illness, uncertainty, and the connection between self, memories, and legacies. While Staszewski was continuing the photo book, he found himself in Mann’s shoes: at just 29, he, too, was diagnosed with cancer. While the book was about Mann, suddenly now became a personal object for Staszewski.
“The question the book asks, ‘What does it mean to be close to the bayou?’ was suddenly something I was forced to ask myself,” Staszewski explains. “This meditation and reflection on death as an abstract story became more and more personal in ways I never could have imagined.”
Now, in the same boat, both Staszewski and Mann were dealing with the challenges of mortality. Staszewski, however, also took this moment to look at Mann and how the renowned artist continued creating despite being in a challenging situation. He continues, “Seeing how Tom continues to compulsively create while, in his own words, being closer to the end of his art-making journey than to the beginning changed my life. I was trying to capture the essence of that experience in a book.”
The photo book comments on the artists’ history, adding depth to their story. Mann has been a part of Staszewski’s life, even before the latter decided to become a photographer. Thus, Close to the Bayou also explores the significance of long-term mentorship while highlighting the role of multigenerational male friendship.
The design of the book reflects its themes. As Staszewski shares, “The vellum reflects the brain fog of cancer treatment, the fog that exists in San Francisco where I grew up, the essence and feeling of the bayou and New Orleans that Tom calls home. Tom also uses translucent paper in his work. All these design elements felt like a way to physically represent his spirit and practice in the book. I’m using the book as a medium to reinforce what it means to be close to the bayou.” The cover uses embroidery, while the interior helps to bring out the emotions of the tale.
In addition to friendship and mentorship, the photographs depict vulnerability, intimacy, sickness in isolation, and cancer, while urging viewers to ponder over their own relationship to life, death, and the creative process. Furthermore, after Staszewski’s own diagnosis, the photographer reworked the publication, and it now includes his own personal experience of facing mortality. Ultimately, the book reminds us that everything in this life is temporary, and what we take with us is only our memories.
To purchase the book, head to Workshop Art’s website.