Just launched from photographer Kevin Couliau comes Asphalt Chronicles, a new independent publication showcasing pick-up basketball across the world through imagery.
Couliau is an amazing photographer and his love of the game has seen him photographing it in more than fifty countries across the globe since 2004. Each limited issue of Asphalt Chronicles will focus on a different region, exhibiting Couliau’s photographs in print, capturing the essence of the game in different locations across the world, through the eyes of skilled photographer with genuine passion for the subject.
Last month we wrote up the Couliau co-directed documentary Doin’ It In The Park: Pick-Up Basketball, New York City, one of the best new offerings we’ve seen in time. Working with Bobbito Garcia, the duo took their love of pick-up basketball to almost 200 courts all over New York, documenting their experiences and stories across the city’s courts.
Couliau’s love for pick-up basketball is infectious, and now that he’s sharing an extended focus with us, the message of appreciation deepens. The first issue is concentrated on Manilla, limited to 150 copies and beautifully packaged and printed, wax sealed in a transparent envelope, all for about $10 USD.
Check out some photos and the proper write-up below, then head over here to order your copy before they fly: http://asphalt-chronicles.com/asphalt-chronicles—manila.html
It’s about the true essence of basketball, this universal movement taking place on the playgrounds : pick-up basketball. Everyday, millions of souls haunt the courts with passion, love and dedication. Some compete for the pride and social status earned on the blacktop, others use it to heal the wounds or escape the daily routine.
As an active member of the community, I started capturing the sport in 2004 – from my hometown in France to more than 50 cities across the globe – witnessing the game’s aesthetic and highlighting the hallowed architecture and landscape of each playground. ASPHALT CHRONICLES is an endless photographic pilgrimage and is my reverence to basketball.
Issue #01 features MANILA, the capital and second largest city of the Philippines, and in my opinion the true Mecca of Basketball on earth.