Rastlin

Nashville-based photographer and music video director, DAVID MCCLISTER specializes in documentary, photojournalism and celebrity portraiture. In this remarkable series, McClister presents his highly personal and close-up observations of the Southern small-town wrestling scene. Alternately comical and poignant, McClister's photographs capture a sense of the human condition unfolding in the "Rastlin" theatre, in the actions of the players, including the "Faces" (heroes), "Heels" (Villains), Refs, and the reacting Fans. He also explores the dynamics of such events as: "Making an Entrance," being "In the Ring" and what happens "Outside the Ring," as well as the "Concessions" that occur outside the ring and backstage. In a concise introductory essay, Art historian David Lewis addresses these tragicomic themes and explores the social function of the wrestlers' masks and costumes, as well as their crowd appeal and why they are an art form.