Architecture of Authority - 9781597110525

This is an assemblage of photos unified by the theme that in the places depicted, one set of people wields power over another set of people. The places are quite varied in their purposes and include--to give a sampling of the range--the United Nations Security Council Chamber, an art gallery, a movie executive's office, a preschool, and a high school corridor. Photographer Ross (U. of California, Santa Barbara) jumped through all sorts of bureaucratic hoops to obtain access to some of the interiors such as the exercise yard, shower stall, and housing units at Abu Ghraib; the lethal injection room at Angola State Penitentiary; a waiting room at the FBI; and an isolation room at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement location in Los Angeles. The images are without human figures, inviting the reader to enter the scenes and experience how the architecture and furnishings speak. John R. MacArthur (president and publisher, Harper's Magazine) provides an essay to set the context. Distributed by Distributed Art Publishers. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)