Places of Power: The Aesthetics of Technology - Hardcover

Sexton, John; Pike, Rob

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0967218810 ISBN 13: 9780967218816

Publisher: Ventana Editions, 2000

Synopsis

Places of Power, John Sexton's third book, transports the viewer to places few have experienced firsthand. Sexton's images explore the haunting mystery of ancient Anasazi cliff dwellings, the monumental scale of Hoover Dam, the massive energy of steam turbine power plants, and the intricacies of the Space Shuttle - the single most complex system ever assembled in human history. The eighty-three photographs in Places of Power bring the viewer into intimate contact with these amazing technological achievements. Seen through Sexton's eyes, these structures and machines built for utilitarian purposes are transformed into miraculous sculptures.
The book includes a foreword by journalist Walter Cronkite, as well as an essay by computer scientist, Rob Pike. John Sexton shares his experiences and challenges in the making of these photographs in his own essays.

About this title

About the Author

JOHN SEXTON is internationally respected as a photographer, master print maker, workshop instructor, and lecturer. Author of two previous award-winning books, "Quiet Light" and "Listen to the Trees", he is best known for his luminous black and white images of the natural environment. For the past thirteen years he has concentrated his attention on the beauty of humankind's technological monuments. Sexton served as photographic assistant and consultant to Ansel Adams from 1979 to 1984. Since 1974 Sexton has taught hundreds of workshops throughout the United States and abroad. His finely crafted large format photographs have appeared in many publications, and are included in permanent collections and exhibitions throughout the world.

WALTER CRONKITE, a legendary journalist, has covered virtually every major news event from World War II to the current Space Shuttle program. He became an American icon as the CBS Evening News anchor from 1962 through 1981. During that period he reported on what he considers the greatest story of our time - humankind's landing on the moon. Twice named "The Most Trusted Man in America," Cronkite's steady, straightforward voice is forever tied to the defining moments of the second half of the 20th century.

ROB PIKE has been a member of the Computing Science Research Center of Bell Labs since 1980, where he studies the ways computers can help computer programmers write better programs. In 1981, he developed one of the first systems that used windows to allow multiple applications to share the display. He is a principal architect of the Plan 9 and Inferno operating systems and the author, with Brian Kernighan, of "The Unix Programming Environment and The Practice of Programming".

Reviews

Sexton is on his way to surpassing his mentors: Ansel Adams, Edward Weston and Wynn Bullock.

Edition details

• Publisher: Ventana Editions
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0967218810
• ISBN 13: 9780967218816
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 128