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Reviews of Stones and Marks
Midwest
Book Review (USA):
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Stones and Marks is an impressively splendid,
superbly presented, black-and-white photographic showcase of inscripted stones and stone monuments left behind by
humanity's ancestors worldwide since prehistory. With images ranging from
megalithic structures to block reliefs, crumbled city walls, petroglyphs
and so much more, each two-page spread features a revealing photograph on
the right, accompanied by a brief text description of the stone's origin on
the left. A captivating legacy of immortal messages and landmarks, and the
next best thing to personally traveling to view enduring ancient wonders. Stones and Marks would
make an especially appropriate Memorial Fund acquisition for academic and
public library systems.
John Burroughs
Reviewer
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Photofile Volume 72, Spring 2004, published
by Australian Centre for
Photography Review by Martin Thomas. Excerpts:
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.....this highly nuanced photography is the
product of a grand passion..... Elliston is still swayed by a childhood
love of rocks and carvings. ....A panoramic sweep
of cultures and histories is evoked by his thoughtful selection of 76
plates....
Time and decay are a constant concern for Elliston. The theme
is handled starkly though persuasively in the North Head photograph. The
inscriptions giving date, name of vessel and shipping line are legible in
the foreground. Beyond lies an expanse of weathered heathland. What a
poignant scene this is. The exacting labour of carving these messages
filled the doldrums for those would-be immigrants who waited in quarantine.
Marks of presence would serve as a counterpoint to the uncertainty of their
fate.
The majority of photographed sites, however, are extremely
ancient. There are megalithic burial chambers from Ireland, Australian rock
paintings, examples of 'lifting stones' (used by Icelandic fishermen to
show their strength) and a wealth of extraordinary archaeological sites
from Jordan. Usually I'm sceptical about projects that mix up disparate
civilisations and epochs, but Elliston is highly attentive to cultural
difference. Each reproduction is coupled with a thoughtful and erudite
explanatory note.
This is classic
black and white photography, taken on an 8 x 10 field camera and
exquisitely reproduced via a quadtone (four-plate) printing process. The
artistic and production values are exquisite and the book is eminently
collectable.
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The Age, Melbourne 21 August 2004.
Reviewed by Dianne Dempsey in Book Reviews. Excerpts:
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Elliston has spent the
past decade searching for monuments, ancient ruins, standing stones,
petroglyphs and pictographs. Elliston's text, which accompanies each photo,
often includes original impressions from 19th-century historians, poets and
artists....... Elliston says humankind has always been compelled to reach
out to its future family. And speak to us our ancestors do: whether we are
viewing scratch marks on stone or a monumental temple, we cannot help being
touched by the knowledge that this other family was here.........
Elliston's strength is to take you with him on the site to enjoy the thrill
of finding these marks, often hidden inside lonely landscapes, as if for
the first time.
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