Magnum Blog / Interview: Alec Soth on "Dog Days Bogotá"

Interview: Alec Soth on "Dog Days Bogotá"

In 2002, Alec Soth traveled with his wife to Bogotá, Colombia to adopt a baby girl. The baby's birth mother gave the new parents a book filled with letters, pictures and poems for their new daughter. 'I hope that the hardness of the world will not hurt your sensitivity,' she wrote. 'When I think about you I hope that your life is full of beautiful things.' During the two months that the Colombian courts processed their adoption paperwork, Soth set about making his own book for his daughter. Soth recently completed this book, Dog Days Bogotá. On November 9th, an exhibition of this work will debut at Weinstein Gallery in Soth's hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Soth discusses Dog Days Bogotá with his intern, Carrie Thompson, a photography student at the College of Visual Arts in St. Paul, Minnesota.

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Photographs from the book "Dog Days Bogotá" © Alec Soth/Magnum Photos Carrie Thompson: You made this book for your daughter, why did you decide to make it for the public? Alec Soth: Wow, you're starting with the hardest question - you should be a journalist! Unfortunately I don't have a great answer. This work was produced five years ago. After Sleeping by the Mississippi was published, it didn't feel right to do this book. So I just kept it in my back pocket. After Niagara, I guess I was ready. CT: Tell me about the dogs, how did they become so important? AS: I was aware of the street kids in Bogotá. I mean, it is a hard thing to ignore, but I was especially attuned to it because of the adoption experience. But I was uncomfortable photographing these kids. So I photographed street-dogs instead. I guess they were a stand-in for the kids. CT: So do the dogs have different types of personalities in your eyes - like young street children? AS: Great question. In a way, this gets at why I was uncomfortable photographing the kids. I mean, I wasn't seeing them as individuals; I was generalizing them as a group. I don't like doing that. The dogs are all a little different, but I'm using them largely as an idea. CT: It seems like you are searching for something in these images, was there something you were looking for? AS: In the dog pictures or the book as a whole? CT: All of the photos, the book. AS: Yeah, I feel like I was looking for something...I'm just not sure what it was. But, of course, it all has to do with my daughter. Since we weren't given too much information about her background, the whole city became charged with her presence. I guess I was looking for signs of her and her background. CT: Imagine your daughter looking at this book in five years, what do you want to see in her birthplace? AS: I guess I want it to be a real place for her. I mean, we are already showing her the pictures (we only tore one page out of the book). We talk about Colombia a lot with her. As a five year old, it is just a mythical place. But over time, I want her to absorb it as a real place and as a real part of her history. I suspect that in five years she would be ready to take a trip there.

Mitchell

Thommy,
Great interview!! He's right. You should consider adding journalist to your many other talents.

mauricio palos

this is one of the best books i have ever seen....felicidades alec

Lea Kast

That is a really interesting interview, thanks for publishing it! What I found especially interesting was where Alec talks about why he was uncomfortable photographing the kids and that he sort of used the dogs as a metaphor.

And the paragraph in which he says that his bodies of work, like Dog Days Bogota or, Niagara or Sleeping by the Mississippi are not documents but rather an exploration and interpretation of his personal interest.

That makes perfect sense! Thanks again for this interview!

Claus

Alec, thanks for this interview and sharing your thoughts about this project. I already ordered my copy at Steidlville but did not yet receive it.

Samo

Huh, I like such as kind of projects. A view direct from your heart but also direct view to your heart. Interesting, very deep book.

Marco de Cádiz

Beatiful photo!!!!

victor

I would like to know the daughter's reaction to this book made for her after she is like 20 years old and has been to her home country. I often write letters to my children that I don't give them. I'm not sure if I will give the letters to them while I'm alive or if they will recieve them after I die. Its funny that parents often want to leave something for their children. Something they can look back on.

Alvaro

Eres muy grande!
Gracias por firmarme el libro en Paris_photo
Un saludo

GENGO

Interesting very deep book.
Beautiful！

mahmood

I love photos news

diziler

Thanks for Work, good achievement