128 pages Introduction by Erick Bradshaw Hughes Photos by Frank Rispoli 25.4 x 20.5 cm Language: English Hardback Publisher: Circa Press 2021
As a clubgoer in the 1970s and ‘80s, Frank Rispoli documented the Punk and New Wave club scenes in New York City. ‘The epicentre of everything was Danceteria’, recalls Rispoli of the club where Madonna made her debut. Recognizing the inherent expression of sexuality and desire in both fashion and club culture, Rispoli captured the intertwining of the two. Focusing exclusively on women’s shoes – a fascination he traces back to childhood – he photographed clubgoers, bar patrons, singers, and band members, utilizing the staged sets and bathrooms of the clubs, and the taxis and sidewalks of the city as his backdrops. Seen together, these images represent a time capsule from a hedonistic age.
‘Rispoli’s photos are intoxicating Kodachrome timestamps that capture the frenetic zeitgeist of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, leaving the identity of the women up for interpretation.’ – Hannah Ongley, I‑D magazine