In the book Organs of A Divided Labour - Pipes and Fittings, Jeremy Ayer meticulously explores the aesthetics and codes of commercial photography through a quantitative and protocol-based approach. Ayer replicates pack shots from a metal tube retailer’s catalog, ordering their pieces and using a large-format camera to reproduce the images with precision. He infuses layers of gesture and suggestion into his work, drawing on traditions of conceptual art while deconstructing the conventions of commercial imagery. By appropriating the original commissioned work of commercial photographers, Ayer situates himself within a chain of production, giving the act of creating art the status of labor. The resulting images, alongside the book itself, resemble typical catalogs of metal tubes at first glance, yet they are imbued with layers of intention and defiance. The publication features an artistic essay by the artist and writer Leila Peacock, in which she appropriates and ironically twists a technical sheet from the original catalog to rewrite her own text. It also includes a booklet with an interview between the artist and author David Campany.

224p, Duotone inside and bw cover, selective matt and gloss coating on images, 24x32 cm, pb, English, 2021