Mike Mandel and Larry Sultan, Untitled, from Evidence, 1977

Mike Mandel and Larry Sultan, Untitled, from Evidence, 1977

Mike Mandel and Larry Sultan, Untitled, from Evidence, 1977

Supported by a grant from the NEA, Mike Mandel and Larry Sultan operated within a tradition of conceptual photography dominant in California, approaching government agencies, research laboratories, corporate offices, and police departments to request permission to access their photographic files. The artists extracted a massive collection of prints of engineering tests, scientific experiments, and crime scenes to form their book and exhibition project Evidence. Presented without an explanation of their original didactic functions, the resulting images take on an expressive and often hilarious life of their own.