Death Trip or...Wisconsin's Great Epidemic

Father and Daughter in Yard, Charles Van Schaick
Appears in Wisconsin Death Trip

Michael Lesy's Wisconsin Death Trip (1973)

“Tramps were never so numerous here as for the past week or two. Sometimes they come in large droves. Station agent Moran says that he one day counted 24 about the depot at once. Some of them are quite persistent and somewhat insolent in their methods of obtaining sustenance.”

“A woman who gave her name as Wilson died at Chippewa Falls from a criminal operation performed on herself. Her parents live near Eau Claire . . . her brother took charge of her remains. The woman was young and pretty and visited every physician in Chippewa Falls to accomplish her object, but without success.”

These are a few newspaper clips that are included in Michael Lesy's Wisconsin Death Trip. In this work he manipulates images and clippings to create a trip through wisconsin where one must experience domesticity and rural life paired with death and insanity. His manipulation, which includes order of images, mirroring, cropping, pairing, etc. helps to create one reality of Black River Falls, WI, (and other parts of Wisconsin)at the time of the photos/clippings. 

Carl and Roy Linnel, Original taken by Charles Van Schaick
Edited version by Michael Lesy
Taken from Wisconsin Death Trip

I use this manipulation in my own silent film to create a reality similar to his; one which examines more closely subjects preparing for a "commissioned" photograph, (in this case, film) where they pose in front of possessions or objects that they see as important. All of the photographs from Wisconsin Death Trip were commissioned and thus expressions and set up of frame were very intentional. Below is the silent film I created for the Digital Processes Wisconsin Death Trip collaboration project.