'Volume 1' is the first in a series of publications presenting different aspects of Michael Stipe’s multifaceted artistic practice. 'Volume 1' includes a focused presentation of 35 images, bringing together 37 years of Stipe’s practice of creating and collecting photographic materials, in addition to posing as a subject in the photographs of others. The book centers around his unconventional and deeply personal understanding of queerness, conflating figures in his own life with those in American history and popular culture. Throughout the book, the formal qualities of images often relate in a poetic or lyrical way, allowing for unlikely juxtapositions and connections to emerge between subjects. These relationships transcend logical associations between time, place, and social structures.
