Kendall Campus Professor Explores Surgery And Death In Photography Book
Kendall Campus professor Tony Chirinos officially released his first photography book at Paris Photo 2021, which took place November 11-14 in France.
The Precipice is a compilation of the 15 years Chirinos worked as a biomedical photographer in Miami. It explores the themes of surgery, death and the rawness behind what happens after we die.
“I feel like the pinnacle of every photographer is to publish a book about their work,” said Chirinos, who has been a photography professor at Miami Dade College since 2003. “Exhibitions have your work up for 30 days, but a book can last for a very long time and be shared. In the future, you might not be around but your book will.”
The three chapter book is for sale on his website and Gnomic Book’s website. It consists of 96 pages and features 75 images. It includes essays by Michelle Otero and Eugenie Shinkle and a poem by Claudia Isidron.
Chapter one portrays photos of surgeries in black and white to represent how the surgical room can be theatrical, chapter two shows surgeon’s tools in colorful backgrounds and chapter three showcases photos of the morgue as a representation of the end of life.
“Surgery is very chaotic and you never know what’s gonna happen next,” Chirinos said. “That’s what I want. I want people to turn the page and not know what the next page is going to be.”
Originally, Chirinos shot 781 rolls for the project and printed between 2,000 to 3,000 photos but after a year and a half, he condensed the book to 75 photos.
To make the book a reality, he fundraised throughout 2019 with the help of Center—a nonprofit that supports socially and environmentally engaged photography projects. Chirinos also reached out to some of his former students who wanted to support the project.
Edwin Gilmore, who graduated from Kendall Campus in 2013 with an associate’s degree in art with a concentration in photography, made a donation to bring the book to fruition.
“I think that whenever an artist wants to do something that major, you always wanna help them out,” Gilmore said. “This was my way of giving back to him.”
Another one of his former students, Melanie Sanchez, also contributed. In addition, she is looking for a local venue to host a future signing event for The Precipice.
“I’ve always been a fan of his work and I wanted to be supportive in any way possible,” Sanchez said. “He has a creative eye and this book really showcases the afterlife and the understanding of it. It’s something people are so afraid to talk about, but at some point you have to face it, so it’s important to be prepared for the future and be curious about it.”
Chirinos graduated from Florida International University with a bachelor of fine arts in visual art in 2000. Three years later, he received his master of fine arts degree in photography from Columbia University.
He was trained as a biomedical photographer at Miami Children’s Hospital in 1985 and became the director of biomedical photography at Baptist Health Systems four years later.
“It’s horrifying when you first see someone getting cut open during surgery,” Chirinos said. “It’s shocking but then it becomes part of the job and you understand the process.”
In the future, Chirinos wants to publish another photography book about cockfighting in South America. But for now, he’s appreciating the release of The Precipice.
“There is never a good time to do a project about death,” Chirinos said. “But I thought that now with COVID I think this a good time to let people have a glimpse of what happens behind closed doors. I always thought death did not discriminate but I know now after COVID that it does discriminate and I think it’s important for people to see that.”
