Sunday, 20 October 2013

Sleeping beauties: Fascinating, voyeuristic time-lapse photographs capture ...


  • New York’s Ted Spagna, who passed away in 1989 at the age of 45, took photographs of people asleep

  • Subjects range from singletons, children, couples and groups, stretching, moving and cuddling in bed

  • His work is now released in a new book entitled Sleep, featuring all the chronological grids of his various subject



By

Deni Kirkova




PUBLISHED:


13:47, 15 October 2013




|

UPDATED:


12:33, 16 October 2013




It is a time for growth and rejuvenation, a state of semi-consciousness where we dream, imagine and put demons to rest. We spend a third of our lives asleep yet remember very little about it.


One photographer, fascinated by our nocturnal behaviour, made it his life’s work to capture the way we slumber through a time-lapse photo series.


Ted Spagna from New York passed away in 1989 at the age of 45. He took photographs of children, couples, singletons and groups moving, stretching and cuddling in bed.


Alexis 1981: New York


Alexis 1981: New York’s Ted Spagna took photographs of children, couples, singletons and groups moving, stretching and cuddling in the night


His beautiful work is now released in a new book entitled Sleep, featuring all the 70 chronological grids of his various subjects.


The intriguing coffee table book is a voyeuristic journey through Spagna’s human sleep portraiture work.


Spagna was an influential teacher, filmmaker, and photographer who discovered and pioneered the art of sleep portraiture.


From 1975­ to 1989 his sleeping subjects included people ranging in age from newborns to 92-year-olds and a wide variety of animals in captivity. His

voyeuristic venture into ‘inner space’ exposes the secrets of human

sleep behaviour using time-lapse camera.



‘I was surprised to see another self that existed in

sleep that I didn’t know about,’ he told the New York Times.


From the erotic to the domestic,

men and women alone to tender intertwined couples, all are psychologically – often literally – naked.


Presented in brilliantly coloured exposures, these sensual,

cinematic images of dressed or undressed sleeping subjects depict the unique nature of our natural behaviour.



Rob and Patty circa 1985: Spagna is devoted to documenting the sleeping habits of others


Rob and Patty circa 1985: Spagna is devoted to documenting the sleeping habits of others



The significance in his work lies in

both its aesthetic and scientific implications. Until Spagna came along,

sleep researchers never had this kind of visual information about their subjects.


Taken at fixed intervals throughout

the night using a bird’s-eye view, and displayed in chronological order,

the series of images look almost like a silent film.


The book includes editorial contributions from

the renowned photographer Mary Ellen Mark, as well as Dr Allan Hobson, notable

psychiatrist and dream researcher.


Billy Anita (detail) 1980: These sensual, cinematic images of dressed or undressed sleeping subjects depict natural behaviour


Billy Anita (detail) 1980: These sensual, cinematic images of dressed or undressed sleeping subjects depict natural behaviour


‘It’s fabulous that Sleep has

been published. You don’t see a lot of great work anymore and Spagna’s

work is fantastic! It deserves to be seen and I’m thrilled that his work

has new life. Many have been inspired by this work and, thanks to these

projects, many more will be,’ says Mary Ellen Mark.


‘Ted

Spagna’s photographs have done more than any other medium to make sleep

science visible, and hence, directly understandable to the general

public,’ says Dr Hobson.


Images courtesy of George Eastman House and © 2013 The Ted Spagna Project



Vincent circa 1985: Spagna


Vincent circa 1985: Spagna’s beautiful work is now released in a new book entitled Sleep, featuring all the chronological grids of his various subjects



The Prokops circa 1977: From the 1970s until his death in 1989, Spagna snapped subjects asleep


The Prokops circa 1977: From the 1970s until his death in 1989, Spagna snapped subjects asleep



Ann circa 1980: From the erotic to the domestic, adults and children are all psychologically and often literally naked


Ann circa 1980: From the erotic to the domestic, adults and children are all psychologically and often literally naked


Chick circa 1980: Spagna captures the magical time of sleep through the time-lapse photo series


Chick circa 1980: Spagna captures the magical time of sleep through the time-lapse photo series


The semi-conscious time for growth and rejuvination, a state of semi-consciousness where we dream, imagine and put demons to rest


Dan 1978: The semi-conscious time for growth and rejuvination, a state of semi-consciousness where we dream, imagine and put demons to rest


Echoing the work of Eadweard Muybridge, this unprecedented book is sure to delight art and photography lovers


Jane 1977: Echoing the work of Eadweard Muybridge, this unprecedented book is sure to delight art and photography lovers












Comments (160)


Share what you think



The comments below have been moderated in advance.





Paulie the Clown,


Shnithlerschlusen, Austria,


4 days ago


how sexist the woman steals the blanket off the guy most of the night





jb,


Glasgow,


4 days ago


I seen a boob.





Aston Manor,


Somewhere, United Kingdom,


4 days ago


DM, Short on news? this has got to take top prise for the most boring article of the decade. DM. here is the clue (Newspaper)….





Dolly Ditzy,


Liverpool, UK,


4 days ago


And the point of this is…..?





Bernard,


Berwick,


4 days ago


What a bleedin waste of film.





fair2middlin,


MiddleUSA,


4 days ago


Might have been interesting if the photos had been sequenced in animation. Static photos are boring.





Cat,


Switzerland,


4 days ago


@Martian, Coventry “Finally got a King size duvet after 5 years of that lovely game, Who Robbed the Covers. I don’t know why we didn’t do that before…”

.

Why not like say tha scandinavians get 1 each ?





Emma,


UK, United Kingdom,


4 days ago


Get two duvets. I couldnt sleep like that before, total joke. Honestly, just get two, it’s a lot easier!





emancipated2013,


Bristol, United Kingdom,


4 days ago


someone take my picture. I fell asleep reading this article.





The-Commentator,


London, United Kingdom,


4 days ago


And tomorrow we get pictures of people falling asleep over the DM website?





Andrew47 Brighton,


Brighton, United Kingdom,


4 days ago


Yawwwwwwn



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