Haider Ackermann’s vision spills across the pages of A#3 like invisible ink – his presence gleaned in each page, yet his garments, his words and his visage strangely lacking. It is only here in Ari Versluis’ image entitled ‘Haider’s Gang’ that the man himself steps out of the shadows and into the spotlight, yet cushioned in a way – with his nearest and dearest standing around him, hands on their hearts. This includes Hannelore Knuts, a muse and dear friend of Haider – the pair met on the train years ago and have not gone a day since without contact. Hannelore appeared in a beautiful series by Inez & Vinoodh in A#3 also here.

This tradition of showing the faces of the designer’s team has travelled through several issues, and this is the first to be showcased here on A BLOG.

www.exactitudes.com

Ari Versluis is the photographer behind Exactitudes, a long-running photographic series that documents and classifies everyday individuals in their social contexts. Together with profiler Ellie Uyttenbroek, Ari places a  similar group of individuals in a uniform framework, uniting them in their similar features while celebrating the small differences in their genetics, cultural uniforms and shared histories. A contraction of the words ‘exact’ and ‘attitudes’, Exactitudes is a study in humanity – an anthropological journey through cities, towns and villages, through class systems and neighbourhoods and family groups.

For Haider Ackermann’s A#3, the pair have contributed two works, the first is entitled ‘Black Widows’ shown above and below. It features twelve African women from Praia, the capital city of the island nation of Cape Verde. All in black head to toe, turbans wrapped tightly and simple rosaries adorning their throats, these dignified women stand in frame with a humble and natural composure, unaffected by the camera. They offer a quiet sadness, their sombre garb a reminder of their grief and suffering.

We will present their second work in A#3 soon.

Below is a 2008 BBC documentary with Ari and Ellie, a closer look into the world of Exactitudes:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aimZ6SFnEKc[/youtube]