Michael Schmelling: Land Line

In the winter of 2007, photographer Michael Schmelling—known for his previous books Shut Up Truth and The Plan—photographed the USA National Memory Championships in New York City. Roughly 100 competitors gathered in a modest conference hall in the Con Edison building to compete in a series of mnemonic tests. Schmelling's photographs from that day are primarily of the competitors, all intensely engaged in recalling and reciting lists of information. Schmelling returned to the championships i...