John Reynolds: The Lost Hours
$75
312pp
Soft cover book
The book frames and documents a series of paintings and collected associated writings from John Reynolds’ Lost Hours project. This idiosyncratic investigation delves into the mysterious 28-hour disappearance of Colin McCahon, a renowned New Zealand artist, in autumn 1984. The event occurred on the eve of McCahon’s major retrospective launch at the Sydney Biennale.
The project not only pays homage to McCahon but also explores themes of time, memory, and the impact of dislocation on artistic consciousness.
The book is designed as a compendium of ‘fragments’. Fragments of art historical framing. Fragments of large paintings deliberately ‘collaged’ to return the viewer’s attention to detail and the individual’s field of vision.
The deliberate dislocation of obvious pathways through the book – tracks the ‘lostness’ of McCahon’s hours along with a purposeful disorientation of the reader.
PANZ Book Awards — Judges Comments
This book is a delicate and intricate immersive marvel – like a work of art in itself. With four different colour covers and an exposed binding that splits the volumes into day and night, it captures the disorienting yet captivating journey of Colin McCahon’s 28 lost hours.