Part three in an ongoing series, Mark Power’s latest instalment depicts an America on the eve of major change
Good Morning, America is an ongoing, 10-years-and-counting project by British photographer, Mark Power. His most recent chapter, Volume III, sees the midpoint of the five-book series, and documents American landscapes, including images taken across South Carolina, Maine, California, Vermont, Nevada, Florida, Michigan and Wyoming. The project began in 2012, just after the re-election of Barack Obama, capturing an America now long gone, and a nation undergoing constant shifts. Sombre and at times desolate, an America unaware of the coming year characterises the book, as Power continues to piece together his portrait of a nation.
The Covid-19 pandemic prevented Power from returning to the US for most of 2020, resulting in a collection of images that reflect a nation just before the global pandemic hit, the Black Lives Matter marches, and a divisive presidential election. Most were taken last winter, displaying a cold, hibernating country. Power says he couldn’t have imagined the political and literal landscapes he would find himself capturing eight years ago – nobody could. A changing country is equally reflected in a changing project. How this year’s contribution will affect it is yet to be seen.
Isaac Huxtable joined the British Journal of Photography in October 2020, where he is currently the Editorial Assistant. Prior to this, he studied a BA in History of Art at the Courtauld Instititue of Art, London.