We were just introduced to Bill Diodato’s work through our friend and colleague Greg Mursko. The work speaks for itself — poignant and disturbing as reviewed by Timothy White from Resource Magazine.
“c/o Ward 81” is the first of a series of two monographs by Bill Diodato. Located in Salem — The Oregon State Insane Asylum — as it was then known and which was also the location for the classic film “One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest” — had a ward set up at the end of the 19th Century to help women with psychiatric needs and provide them with isolation: Ward 81.
During 2005, the entire site was being redeveloped… the Oregon State Legislature authorized Bill Diodato to photograph and thus document the cremated remains of some of 3,500 deceased patients of the “Asylum” which, in one final act of inhumanity, had been exhumed.
During this very moving project — Warden Marvin Fickle also granted Bill access to the infamous closed-off Ward 81. Knowing that he would be the last person to document the ward, Bill felt a sense of responsibility to remember the women who inhabited this extraordinary place. The result is “c/o Ward 81”.
For those of you who have asked for a greater insight into images included in “c/o Ward 81″, we have posted some additional images which appear in the book:
Care of Ward 81 is available in a first edition of 1,000 copies and 200 are still available for $50. Care of Ward 81 is also available in a signed, numbered and slipcased edition of 100 with both the book and the slipcase bound in Japanese Saifu cloth. ($250). The deluxe edition of 50 comes with a print, and is also signed by Bill and Mary Ellen Mark, numbered, and slipcased with both the book and slipcase bound in Japanese Saifu cloth. The deluxe edition print of 50 included with the Deluxe Edition is a pigment print on the archival Hahnemuhle Fine Art Baryta paper. This image is printed with the finest archival inks available on the market today. Each print is signed and numbered by the artist. ($500). The options link here or at the bottom of Bill Diodato’s blog.
Thanks to Greg Mursko for introducing us to this remarkable photography of Bill Diodato’s work.
Images: © Bill Diodato
