Scott Mead: Rites of Passage

Taken over a five-year period between 1971 and 1976, Scott Mead’s black-and-white photographs of New England, USA, explore scenes of discovery, ritual, rural beauty and urban metropolis.

In Rites of Passage, photographer Scott Mead revisits his formative years in New England, USA. Taken over a five-year period between 1971 and 1976, the black-and-white photographs explore scenes of discovery, ritual, rural beauty and urban metropolis.

Situated somewhere between an American road trip and a personal visual diary, Mead’s images capture a world as it was then, shaped by political upheaval, profound civil change and the Cold War. The tensions embedded in these photographs resonate today amid a fraught social landscape and increasing polarisation. Recent global events prompted Mead to reflect deeply as he explored his photographic archive.

This clothbound hardback book features 100 large-format prints of Mead’s poignant work. Shot on 35mm black-and-white film, the images portray life in a time of transition, drawing the viewer’s eyes into their atmospheric compositions and rich textures. Rites of Passage presents Mead’s delicate, often amusing and sometimes uneasy portraits alongside cityscapes, landscapes and snapshots of the lives of friends and strangers.