"Watching the World Cup" Captures the Full Spectrum of Human Emotion
MIKE O'DONNELL / EDITOR
WNW Member and London-based Photographer Jane Stockdale has created a work that documents heaven, hell, and purgatory, all reflected on the human face. It's not life or death. It's both. Watching the World Cup is a 64-page photo essay documenting the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Massive street protests during the previous year’s Confederations Cup revealed frustration with stadium spending and a deep-rooted desire for change in the country. In 2014, the authorities braced themselves for more. But when football fans from all over the world arrived, Brazilians threw away their troubles and set about hosting one of the happiest, most exciting World Cups ever.
The final score of a football match doesn't even come close to equaling the number of times the heart rises and drops in that 90-minute span, which is why Jane bypasses the games and zeroes in on the fans' reactions. The collection captures the moments before, during, and after both agony and ecstasy. The result is gorgeous, heartening, and even humorous.
Collaborating with graphic designer Patrick Fry and writer Damian Platt, Jane and company have created a beautiful and lasting work, limited to 400 copies. Each cover is finished with 8 hand-applied stickers, chosen at random, making each copy unique. The stickers showcase the fans, not the football players. According to Stockdale, they're the real heroes of the World Cup. Shout out to WNW Member Manuel Moreale too, who did a stellar job coding the micro-site at lightning speed.
