The Sound of Two Songs by Mark Power is the result of the artist’s ‘love affair’ with Poland. The result is an eloquent series of photographs describing the changing social values of a country caught between the past, the present, and the future, both in terms of attitudes and of the contradictions in its landscape. As Power says, ‘Poland is a beautiful country. Poland is an ugly country.’

This beautiful book moves effortlessly between images of the urban and the rural, the old and the new, setting the crumbling inner-city housing estates of the communist era against the new developments of colourful apartments and gleaming shopping centres. Power’s project also explores the effect of global capitalism on the Polish landscape with advertising hoardings dominating the cityscape, setting a sharp contrast between the decay and aspiration of the country. With essays by Gerry Badger, Wojciech Nowicki and Marek Bieczyk.

Limited edition of 2000.

Published in association with Photomonth, Krakow with additional funding from the University of Brighton.