On 6th March we publish Push Process, a novel with photographs by Jonathan Walker. Beautifully written and produced, Push Process is a book about friendship, being European, and how engaging with art - in this case taking photos - can open doors, connect us to people and places, and lead to personal transformation. The novel is illustrated with a series of photographs of Venice that contribute to the narrative, and features a Part Two: a photo-essay that follows the main chapters.
Read below for more information about Push Process, some photos taken from the book, an event to mark its launch, and Jonathan's blog series discussing the inspirations behind the the book.
More speed, more light, more time.
But this is the fastest possible film, pushed as hard as it can be pushed; the lens wide open to catch every drop of brightness; the slow exposure shaking the image apart. Right up at the edge.
Go farther, closer.
Venice, 2000.
Richard is a postgraduate student living in the city to research its past. He’s supposed to be working in the archive, but he meets Merlo and Lars, two art students who are more interested in Venice’s present. He decides to pick up a camera and join them.
The world comes alive for Richard through photographs: for the first time, he feels connected to a place – and other people. He’s determined to continue, whatever the cost.
Push Process is a novel about art, friendship and being European, illustrated with over fifty black-and-white photographs of Venice.
'A genre-defying work that blends quality fiction with art theory and criticism to pose the question, what are we really trying to capture when we decide to take a photograph?'
Stu Hennigan, author of Ghost Signs
'In Push Process, Jonathan Walker takes a stylistic risk, producing a novel as arresting as it is innovative, resulting in an alchemic book infused with shades of Ian McEwan's The Innocent and Teju Cole's Blind Spot.'
Ali Millar, author of Ava, Anna, Ada
On 6th March, there will be a launch event at Waterstones Byres Road in Glasgow. Jonathan Walker will be interviewed by Dr Zoë Strachan, novelist and lecturer at the University of Glasgow. Tickets are free, and available here.
Jonathan is currently publishing a series of posts on his blog that discuss Venice, photography and the inspirations behind Push Process. You can find them here.
You can pre-order a copy of the book here, or from wherever you'd prefer.
