About the Book
Front Cover / Back Cover
from 'Welcome to the Metropolis'
from 'Welcome to the Metropolis'
from 'Meeting Adam'
from 'Find Your Own'
from 'Find Your Own'
from 'Night Drive Through Babylon'
from 'Night Drive Through Babylon'
from 'Hold Still... - Keep Moving'
from 'The Lines of our Minds'
from 'The Holy Land'
from 'The Holy Land'
from 'La Montagne Moderne'
from 'La Montagne Moderne'
from 'Escape from the Unreal City'
from 'The Way of Dancing Vision'
from 'The Way of Dancing Vision'
from 'the Medicine Circle'
from 'The Medicine Circle'
from 'Returning Home'
from 'The Web of Life'
from 'The Medicine Circle'
from 'The Silence'
Postcards from Babylon is a compelling journey through the landscapes of the modern world, in search of creative responses to the human and ecological crises of our times.
Using images, words and design, the book takes the reader on a visceral, quirky tour of London and other cities around the planet, exploring the physical and psychic landscapes of Western civilisation. The personal journey of the photographer provides a core human narrative, inviting the reader to trace the connections between the state of the world and the state of our souls. Woven into this is a series of stories from diverse musical, artistic, political and spiritual subcultures, all invoking in their own ways the possibility of freedom within or beyond ‘Babylon’.
From the monochrome drudgery of the rat-race to ecstatic moments on the electronic dancefloor; from high finance, political exile and the concreting of the Alps to graffiti, Detroit techno, Zen meditation and a permaculture community living off-grid; this is a book which seeks to be unflinchingly real in its portrayal of the ways we are living, where we’ve come from and where we might be going. It is a piece of twenty-first century storytelling, animated by original vision, raw honesty and an undercurrent of wry humour.
“Very beautiful and haunting… a serious piece of art to be gone back to over and over”
- Steve & Corinne Wasson“A magnificent blast of good spirit”
– Heathcote Williams“Stunning imagery and sharp, concise text rattle the cage of our status quo thinking and open us up to the questions that make life worth living.”
– Ya’Acov & Susannah Darling Khan“A rare, beautiful and brave book”
- Hugh Warwick“I’m just reading your book, its fucking brilliant…!”
- Josh Ben-Tovim“Loved it, laughed with it, welled-up, and sat motionless in front of it’s images.”
- Joshua Knight“Best photographic spreads of the year”
- Lesley Wright“The spirits, they put you there because you have a message”
- Lee ‘Scratch’ PerryChristian de Sousa is a photographer and writer working on the edges of documentary practice. He is also a movement facilitator, DJ and occasional activist. After having lived in London and other English cities for most of his life, he is now based in the hills of South Devon, continuing to work in London, Paris, Berlin, Switzerland and elsewhere. Postcards from Babylon is his document from 15 years of exploring the modern world and following pathways that seem to lead in the direction of personal and collective liberation. He was conceived and born in Switzerland. More at luminousworlds.net
Postcards from Babylon
Live Lockdown Stream
27-5-20
20h London time
Audiophile hi-quality Stream:
http://postcardsfrombabylon.net:8000/stream
(live from 8pm)
Zoom Virtual Cinema:
Meeting ID: 838 0351 2701
Password: liberation
Facebook Live:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1597564133736100/
The PfB project predates the pandemic but touches on many of the questions, problems and potential solutions that Covid-19 and the global lockdown have brought to the surface. So we're offering a free live stream of the 55-minute soundtrack, taking a journey from the streets to the forests, from the financial system to house music clubs, and from anarchist protests to Zen meditation temples.
It's a personal narrative designed to evoke and carry the listener's own existential enquiry. The album was premiered to a packed Ritzy cinema in Brixton, London last year, to overwhelmingly positive response.
We'll be streaming on Zoom, Facebook Live and via a high-quality audio-only stream. Christian and Alex will give a short introduction to the project before we take the journey together. Afterwards there will be an opportunity to hang out for Q&As, reflections and integration.
During the stream, we recommend you sit or lie back in a darkened space with the highest-quality speakers or headphones you have access to. This is an imaginal audio experience for your co-creative engagement!
