Joan Fontcuberta

Sputnik

Published by Chikuma Shobo, Tokyo, 1999.

Hardcover with pictorial boards and dust jacket. 203 pages, 8.25 x 6.25 inches.

Soviet cosmonaut Ivan Isotchnikov and canine companion Kloka disappeared from history after their spacecraft, the Soyuz 2, slipped out of monitoring range in orbit above earth on October 25, 1968, after a failed docking mission with the Soyuz 3. To avoid the embarrassment of a second failure in the tense space race, the Soviet government doctored all photos and documents relating to Isotchnikov, forcibly confined his family, and "reeducated" his colleagues. Evidence was discovered after the fall of the Soviet Union, revealing to the world the fate of this important historical figure. Or maybe not. Joan Fontcuberta has done an expert job at reconstructing, or more truthfully, creating history to tell this story. All of these facts are fabrications themselves, just like the supposed Soviet cover-up, created as an art project based on a fake news story that the artist saw. Both the news story and Fontcuberta's subsequent creation were believed for quite some time, yet the artist never intended for the work to be taken as fact. An exhibit showcasing letters, photographs, and even a model of the Soyuz 2 was displayed in Madrid. From Parr and Badger, "The History of the Photobook, volume II": "The result is a fascinating document, illustrated with photographic material that recalls the heyday of the great photobooks of El Lissitsky and Alexander Rodchecnko." This book features photographs and text created by Fontcuberta, with additional text for this edition by Keijo Suga. "Sputnik" is a hardcover book with pictorial boards and dust jacket and an intact obi. A masterfully created "history," valuable as an art piece as well as a political statement about the devious ways of government and the ease with which the public entertains conspiracy theories.