Mise-en-Scene

Mise-en-Scène is a book that explores the social lives of urban landscapes through photo essays, original maps, drawings, essays, excerpts from historical writings, and interviews with residents. It focuses on seven visual case studies depicting life in seven American cities, combining black-and-white photography with annotations and drawings to highlight urban forms. The book explores the interconnectedness across geographies, scales, and situations and presents new opportunities for creating direct interaction between citizens and proposing an ecological and social focus for city-building.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 23 March 2022
Publisher: Oro Editions

Mise-en-Scène is an immersive exploration of the social lives of urban landscapes, delving into the actors and actions that shape the daily theatre of urban life. This captivating book is the result of a unique collaboration between an urbanist, Chris Reed, and a photographer, Mike Belleme. It combines captivating photo essays, original maps and drawings, newly commissioned essays, excerpts from historical writings, and insightful interviews with residents. The result is a rigorous and artful examination of the social, cultural, environmental, and economic challenges of life in American cities today.

Richly illustrated and designed to appeal to a broad audience of architects, designers, photographers, and enthusiasts of the contemporary city, the book is centered around seven visual case studies that depict life in seven American cities: Los Angeles, Galveston, St. Louis, Green Bay, Ann Arbor, Detroit, and Boston. Each case study seamlessly blends black-and-white photography, taken from street level and often in intimate detail, with annotations and drawings that highlight urban forms. Throughout the book, an inherent interconnectedness across geographies, scales, and situations emerges, showcasing how a celebratory moment can be experienced equally in Green Bay's compact downtown or amidst the chaos and sprawl of Los Angeles. Similarly, the tensions present in the redevelopment of previously inundated waterfronts in Boston or Galveston can be understood in parallel with urgent conversations on race and identity in St. Louis.

To further enrich the reader's experience, six essays by a diverse and interdisciplinary group of contributors prompt further reflection on the visual case studies. Chris Reed delves into the social lives of cities, designer Sara Zewde explores the image of the city, artist De Nichols sheds light on social equity and identity, ecologist Nina-Marie Lis contributes her expertise, and others offer their perspectives. Mise-en-Scène is a testament to the power of visual storytelling and the ability of collaboration to shed light on the complex dynamics of urban life. It is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the ever-evolving landscape of American cities and the people who inhabit them.

Weight: 520g
Dimension: 273 x 203 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781951541446