Whilst in grad school, photographer Eli Durst discovered a faith-based self-help group through Facebook that met weekly in church basements. In spite of their comparatively comfortable lives, the middle-class suburbanites carried a listless ennui, and were committed to untangling the superficial markers of success and happiness embedded within through spiritual and secular strategies. Over several years Durst shot the group through a number of staged scenarios, reflecting its “self-critical base structure.” The fascinating result of this intimate and lengthy relationship has been published through @jointsloose. Stark monochrome images of team bonding exercises, pregnancy groups, school gyms, amateur theatre and county fairs sit alongside mundane yet absurd family portraits – gesture and objects loaded with symbolic meaning. Port caught up with Durst to discuss the project, American fantasies, and how his proximity to the group bred new meaning to the work. Full story in bio, photography courtesy @durzt