Rachel Cobb: Mistral: The Legendary Wind of Provence

Description

Mistral is a portrait of Provence seen through its legendary wind. Photographer Rachel Cobb illustrates the effects of this relentless force of nature that funnels down France's Rhone Valley, sometimes gusting to hurricane strength. The mistral is not just a weather phenomenon: it is an integral part of the fabric of Provencal life impacting its architecture, agriculture, landscape and culture. Houses have few or no windows on the northwest, windward side and the main entrance on the southern, sheltered side. Rows of trees lining fields create windbreaks to shield crops. Artists have long been drawn to the area for the clear skies that follow a mistral. Nobody who lives or spends time in the region can escape the mistral. It is everywhere yet nowhere to be seen. How do you photograph the wind? With images of a leaf caught in flight, grapevines lashed by powerful gusts ("You can taste the wine better when there's a mistral," a winemaker says), a bride tangled in her veil, and even spider webs oriented to withstand the wind. Out of thin air Cobb makes us feel the unseen. Including an introduction by Bill Buford and an excerpt from Paul Auster about his life in Provence. Cobb draws from writing by Jean Giono, Frederic Mistral and others. The book is designed by Yolanda Cuomo Design, NYC.

x-- "LensCulture" American photojournalist Rachel Cobb has spent several decades capturing the legendary wind that blows through southern France. This relentless force of nature that can gust to hurricane strength is an integral part of the fabric of Provencal life.-- "Guardian" A lifelong fascination with the legendary winds of the South of France has yielded a lush and vibrant book--a work that resonates with the intensity of the forces it seeks to capture.--Chloe Schama "Vogue" Can you capture the wind? No, this is not a riddle. This is what photographer Rachel Cobb set out to do - and not just any wind but le Mistral, the strong, cold wind that blows across Provence in the south of France. Cobb spent years photographing it, starting with Kodachrome film, ending with digital cameras. And she has collected her work in a new book.--Mary Louise Kelly "NPR All Things Considered" Cobb's new book, Mistral: The Legendary Wind of Provence, is a record of the 20 years she spent hunting the wind.--Marigold Warner "British Journal of Photography" In beautifully evocative stills, a photographer captures the restless swirl of Province's famous wind.--Kim Hubbard "People" Mistral: The Legendary Wind of Provence by photojournalist Rachel Cobb is a deeply wonderful, playful, and moving collection of images and text that prove her achievement of something seemingly impossible: photographing the invisible. ... Here, though, there is huge success. Mistral achieves the impossible. ... I found myself lingering over the photographs, imagining the stories behind the shots. Mistral is among those great photobooks that provoke a creative imagining in the viewer's heart and head. .... If I were writing Hollywood hype, I'd use phrases like "instant classic.--W. Scott Olsen "Lensculture"