Written In The West

In preparation for shooting his film ’Paris, Texas’ in late 1983, Wim Wenders travelled the American West equipped with a 6×7 medium format camera searching out subjects and location. For several months he drove the empty highways of Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California. In the process, he produced a sequence of photos out of which sixty-two was published in a book ’Written in the West’ (1987, ISBN 978-3823854692)

Photography enables you to grasp a place first time round. In fact, photography often tends to become impossible in a place you’re already familiar with. Going back somewhere seldom accompanies a desire to take photos…. Photography is a means of exploration, it’s a vital part of travel, almost as essential as a car or a plane. The photo camera makes arrival in a place possible. – Wim Wenders