By
Annette Lin

AARON STERN'S 'WE LIVE BEHIND THE MOON SOMETIMES'

The photographer Aaron Stern has two problems with the Leica M6 camera he uses on film projects: One, his vintage Canon lens has a fungus on it that creates a haze over his pictures; and two, there’s a small hole in the shutter curtain of the camera, creating what he describes as a “star-like, white explosion” in his photos. He would get these fixed, but they give his photos a hazy, otherworldly effect that are perfect for his latest book, We Live Behind the Moon Sometimes.

The limited-run monograph—only fifty editions have been printed—reveals images from Stern’s trips through Florida, Maine, and California, shot on 35mm film. Accompanying the photographs are two poems, one each from Stern’s longtime collaborators David Wagoner and Christopher J. Johnson. The last few pages feature phrases penned in Stern’s handwriting. Two women are photographed, but the majority of the photos are landscapes: pine trees and mountains silhouetted by blurry sunsets and surreal moons. There’s a feeling Stern wants you to drown, blissfully, in nature. The overall result is a dreamy sense of beauty, solitude, and nostalgia—a Beach House song in book form, as he puts it.

Like Stern’s last release, I Woke Up in My Clothes, this work is an introspective exploration of what it means to be human. Memory, the past, and the way we choose to remember it are underlying themes. “The way we tend to remember dreams or relationships is slightly skewed by our own influences and the narrative that we start creating for ourselves,” says Stern. “Not that they’re wildly different, but it’s like they say, there’s three sides to an argument: his side, her side, and the truth.”

The title itself is translated literally from the German expression hinter dem Mond leben, which refers to the idea of hiding or protecting ourselves, as in the idea that someone who is behind the moon can’t see the earth, or reality. For Stern, this isn’t necessarily negative. “I think we all feel pain, we all feel sadness, grief, and happiness, and all those things, and we tell ourselves these stories to try to help get through all those things.”

When asked how he wanted his audience to feel upon paging through his book, Stern answers, “The way you feel when you close your eyes and think about the past or something that you’re hoping for, and it looks starry and dreamy like an Impressionist painting. I wanted it to look like that: painterly and hazy and out of reach.”

Out of reach the feeling might be, but the publication is the opposite: surprisingly, for an art book, it’s stitched on the side instead of being perfect bound. Cut to an octavo size, it has the elegance of a coffee table book coupled with the accessibility and personality of a zine: “It’s not one, not the other,” he says. “I wanted it not to feel so precious.”

Part of this was for pragmatic reasons: “I like to look at art books and fall asleep. But they’re so big and heavy, and I mess them up, like fold the page by accident or something. But you can bring this on the subway.”

We Live Behind the Moon Sometimes is available now here.

1 /4
By
Annette Lin

Related

Prabal Gurung's New Book

The Nepalese designer celebrates a decade of championing diversity, inclusion, and a world made “stronger through color” with his vibrant clothing in his first monograph.

Avan Jogia Follows Wherever His Curiosity Leads

With roles in Gregg Araki’s new series Now Apocalypse and this week’s Shaft reboot along with a forthcoming book of poetry and directorial début, the former Nickelodeon star continues to celebrate the freedom to explore and experiment creatively.

Tonne Goodman Shares Her 'Point of View'

In her new book, the celebrated former Vogue fashion director shares images from her childhood, her modeling career, and her family life, along with the countless editorials, advertisements, and covers to which she has lent her crisp eye over the years.

Ethan James Green Photographs 'Young New York'

In his first book, the young photographer shares a personal project of eloquent black-and-white portraits of New York’s trans, non-binary, and queer community.

Lola & Pani Find Brotherhood in 'Northern Rivers'

In their new book, the London-based photographer duo capture a crew of lifelong friends over the course of a seemingly endless summer in Australia.

FUMI NAGASAKA STARTS A 'TEENAGE RIOT'

In her second book, the Japanese photographer captures the individual personalities and æsthetics of four adolescent girls in their hometowns in a collection that is both intimate and anthropological.

RO KWON ON CULTS AND YOUNG LOVE IN 'THE INCENDIARIES'

In her propulsive début novel, ten years in the making, the author ponders the unfathomability of others in the tale of a young woman who joins a cult.

MARTIN ZÄHRINGER GOES FISHING WITH JOHN BAKER

In his first book, the London-based photographer documents every facet of the life of a Barbadian fisherman with whom he felt an immediate kinship, acting as both visitor and companion.

MARIO SORRENTI SHOWS A NEW SIDE OF KATE MOSS

In a new book of previously unreleased photographs, the famed photographer spotlights the iconic model’s innocence from their days of youthful love.

SEBASTIAN BECKWITH DEMYSTIFIES TEA

In his first book, the In Pursuit of Tea founder shares twenty-plus years of experience in a mix of history, cultural study, and instruction manual.

SKATER-SLASH-PHOTOGRAPHER IAN KENNETH BIRD HEADS INTO THE STUDIO

After making his name capturing his friends skating around East London, the British photographer opts for the purity of a white studio for his latest book, Untitled Portraits.

PHOTOGRAPHER NICOLAS KERN CAPTURES THE "CONSTANT NOW" IN HIS BOOK 'ZEITGEISTER'

The photographer finds intimate moments in the juxtaposition between the soon-to-be-extinct medium of large-format instant photography and over sixty new faces shot over just four days.

TYLER WETHERALL TURNS HISTORY INTO MEMORY IN HER MEMOR 'NO WAY HOME'

In her début memoir, the young author recounts a life growing up the child of a convicted pot smuggler and fugitive from the law, reinforcing her relationship with her father and exploring the process of alchemizing her own past into memory.

ADRIAN GAUT PHOTOGRAPHS ALONG WILSHIRE BOULEVARD

In his first book, the photographer captures one of Los Angeles’s iconic thoroughfares with an eye to abstract imagery, finding coherence in Southern California’s diverse sprawl.

MATS GUSTAFSON ILLUSTRATES THE BODY'S FRAGILITY IN 'NUDE'

In a book of watercolors, the Swedish artist and illustrator turns away from his fashion work for more intimate portraits that reflect the fragility of the human body as a protest against the slow response to the AIDS crisis.

NEW YORK BY THE LAST MAGAZINE: AUTHOR ALEXANDRA KLEEMAN SAYS WRITING IS LIKE PLAYING A VIDEO GAME

In her novel and short stories, the Staten Island-based author probes the border between science and literature with discomfiting tales about the body and its relationship to the perilous world around it.

HERMIONE HOBY'S 'NEON IN DAYLIGHT' REINVENTS THE NEW YORK NOVEL FOR A NEW AGE

In her début novel, the young British author ponders questions of selfhood and power dynamics in a thoughtful bildungsroman set during a sweltering New York summer.

SALLY ROONEY TALKS TO HER FRIENDS

In her sparkling début novel, the Irish author questions power dynamics and imbalances of privilege while reflecting on communication in the digital age.