Halifax Infirmary, by Mount Rainier

Halifax Infirmary

by Mount Rainier

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1.	Hospital 11:08	buy track
2.	Pain 05:34	buy track
3.	Nuclear 09:52	buy track
4.	Hope 07:44	buy track

about

This record serves as a soundtrack of sorts to a piece by photographer Robert Frank, "Halifax Infirmary, 1978." Probably best known for his 1958 book "The Americans," Frank started experimenting with his medium in the '70s, creating these dense, narrative-driven photo collages, in which he'd scratch words into the negative prints.

In 1978, Frank was hospitalized at the Halifax Infirmary in Nova Scotia for a brief time and, during his stay, documented the story of his roommate Stanley B. Lawson. In 12 photos, we see the elderly Mr. Lawson enter treatment for an illness, which eventually takes his life. Frank's series of photos telegraph a story of hope, pain, fear, sadness and, ultimately, emptiness.

Death is inevitable. It is one of the few things we can be sure of in this world. Sometimes, it is horrific and makes headlines in your community, the country, or across the world. Other times, it is slow, painful, and unremarkable; in the case of Mr. Lawson, an illness that slowly eats away during one's twilight years. Whichever the case, death is perhaps the hardest truth for us to deal with, even though it's one of the few things we are 100 percent certain of. I think about this a lot.

As Robert Frank etched into his piece, "The Wind Will Blow The Fire of Pain Across Everyone In Time."

www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.76927.html

credits

released May 18, 2018

Guitar, field recordings: Matt Cohen
Recorded and mixed by: Mattson Ogg
Mastered by: Dave Klyman
Artwork by: Ryan Troy Ford

Gratitude: Ryan Ford, Mattson Ogg, Dave Klyman, Maxwell Stern, Josh Harkavy and Alyssa Best, Red Onion Records, Rebecca Mills, Jason Mogavero, Jeff Barsky, Al Charity, Jesse Shepherd, the Rhizome DC community, anyone who has booked, hosted, or played a show with me over the past couple of years.

Thank you for listening.

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about

Mount Rainier Washington, D.C.

guitarist, human being, and resident of Earth.

booking, inquiries, etc: mattcohen59@gmail.com

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