Vulcanites: Book Release at Inferno Gallery
Vulcanites officially launched Friday night at Inferno Gallery. Thanks to everyone who came out. Seeing fans, friends and fellow artists together in one room was the best possible send-off.
Vulcan Lofts in East Oakland began life as a steel factory. Today it's an artist live-work space, part studio, part home, and part long-running experiment in how creative people choose to live. For Vulcanites, I photographed residents inside their spaces: the raw industrial shell and the very personal worlds people have built inside it. The building shapes its residents, and they reshape it right back. That back-and-forth is what the book is about. Each portrait is paired with a few words from its subject, so the residents get to tell part of the story themselves.
Gary-Paul Barbosa Prince, owner and curator of Inferno Gallery, was kind enough to write about the book on the gallery blog:
"In this beautiful book, photographer Ren Dodge examines people in their homes at Vulcan Studios aka Vulcan Lofts in East Oakland, California. A steel factory turned artists live-work space has spawned a vibrant community of artists, free thinkers and friends. The unique interior architecture and vivid personalities pose a compelling subject for documentary photography. Coupled with snippets of text written by the subjects, Vulcanites offers a portal into a not so often seen world of interesting individuals who shape the creative community in Oakland."
Thank you, Gary-Paul, and thanks to the Vulcanites for opening their doors.
Vulcanites is available on Blurb (Hardcover) or Amazon (Softcover).
I acknowedge that the price is twice that of normal photo books, this is because of the on-demand printing cost. I make a profit of $40 for each book sold, the rest goes to the printer. But, it’s worth it! Nowhere else is the amazing history of Oakland’s underground loft living and vibrant art scene captured in 80 detailed photos with statements from the residents at the time of production.