Abigail Varney - Rough & Cut

Released 2022Published by TrespasserPhotographs by Abigail VarneyDetails:Edition of 750 copies10x12.5 inches68 pages32 color and 14 b&w plates printed on uncoated paperOpen spine binding with iridescent foil stamped hard cover.Rough & Cut documents Abigail Varney’s journeys to a place in central Australia called Coober Pedy. The town owes its existence to the discovery of opal seams in 1915, an iridescent gemstone that formed from water that once covered the desert landscape. This precious opal has been mined through a series of booms and busts, almost into oblivion. Beyond the mullock heaps and away from the sun's searing heat lies underground dugouts inhabited by Coober Pedy’s remaining miners, still dreaming of one last opal-rich strike. Keeping the idiosyncrasies of the town's personality alive and well, Varney’s encounters are an insight into the characters that call this place a forever home. Captured are the remnants of this magnetic, surreal landscape shaped by its extr