Friday, July 27, 2007

Richard Ross


Where do you find an architect to design an interrogation cell? How is the U.N. building similar to a mosque? Why does the border patrol questioning room have a drain in the center of the floor? Richard Ross's impressive photography exhibit 'Architecture of Authority' currently at ACME Los Angeles poses these questions and more. Ross takes impassive photographs of public places, from hotel lobbies to Montessori school rooms to jail cells, and reveals the underlying architectural strategies that establish authority and control. It's a fascinating exhibit and I might actually buy the book because issues of space and the theatrics of authority are of interest in recent historiography. More photos are on Ross's website.

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