Robert Polidori: Topographical Histories

Name: Robert Polidori: Topographical Histories
Brand: Thames and Hudson (Australia) Pty Ltd
SKU: 9783958295490
Price: 72.99 NZD
Availability: InStock

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Summary

Topographical Histories features Robert Polidori's 2016 photographs capturing the interior walls of a unique historic house in Göttingen, Germany, dating back to 1310. This house, the oldest in Göttingen and among the oldest half-timbered houses in Germany, has survived through centuries with layers of wattle and daub, clay bricks, plaster, and remnants of paint and wallpaper. Polidori's work reveals the rich textures and colours of these surfaces, offering a painterly, architectural portrait that uncovers living history.
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Format: Hardback

$72⁹⁹

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Robert Polidori: Topographical Histories

$72⁹⁹

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Art and culture enthusiasts interested in architectural photography, historical preservation, and unique visual storytelling will find this book compelling.

Description

Robert Polidori has been making books at Steidl for over 18 years, and for many of his visits he lodged in an apartment adjacent to the publishing house. To the left of this, at Düstere Straße 6, stands a small humble house, not only the oldest dwelling in Göttingen but, dating back to 1310, one of the oldest half-timbered houses in all of Germany.

Miraculously never demolished over the centuries (just altered, repaired and patched up), it has now been restored by Gerhard Steidl and today houses the Günter Grass Archive, part of the University of Göttingen. Topographical Histories presents Polidori's 2016 photos of the interior walls of the building, whose glorious crumbling layers—fourteenth-century structures of wattle and daub, clay bricks and plaster, as well as remnants of paint and wallpaper from different centuries—bear witness to living history.

Polidori focuses on the subtle colourations, depth, and complexity of these surfaces, creating an unconventional, painterly architectural portrait. It is paradoxical but oftentimes it is a necessity for one to lie in order to show the truth.

Robert Polidori

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Christopher Irmscher of The Od Review writes that after viewing Topographical Histories, you will never see a wall—from a simple white one to hotel room surfaces—the same way again, highlighting the transformative perspective Polidori's photographs provide.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9783958295490

Publisher: Steidl Publishers

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 03 January 2019

Country: Germany

Imprint: Steidl Verlag

Illustration: Illustrated in colour and black and white throughout

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 290.0mm

Height: 340.0mm

Weight: 1050g

Pages: 80

Collections

Arts & Culture Non-Fiction

About the Author

Robert Polidori was born in Montreal in 1951 and today lives in Ojai, California. He received the World Press Photo Award in 1997, the Alfred Eisenstaedt Award for Magazine Photography in 1999 and 2000, and Communication Arts awards in 2007 and 2008. In 2006 Polidori's acclaimed photos of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina were exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His books with Steidl include Havana (2003), Zones of Exclusion-Pripyatand Chernobyl (2003), After the Flood(2006), Parcours Muséologique Revisité(2009), Some Points in Between ... Up TillNow (2010) and Eye and I (2014).