This 7-volume collection has been carefully composed: compressing a survey of all metropolitan building found on the continent is a tricky job, carried off here with intelligence and keen editorial control. With so much to cover and (comparatively) so little space, even the most populous cities are reduced to a few pages. So, by definition, these volumes can't survey the important buildings, but instead give a sense of the fabric of the built environment. There are plentiful photos, but almost all of them are are quilted into grids; their small size and the rough tooth of the paper used obliterate small details. All of the photos are valuable as data -- the wealth of material as reference is staggering. But these are clearly photographs taken by an architect with a strong eye for form, not a photographer trying to capture forms. There is really no attention to composition, or light, in any of the photos. Most were clearly taken with a lens hanging out the window of a car in motion, and mostly the shots are medium format, framing the building to the edges of the image, and quite often they are candid snaps taken off angle and a little blurry. If you are approaching the collection as a data source, none of these photographic shortcomings will matter to you at all. This is not intended to be a National Geographic photo portrait of Africa.
ken
On 5/27/15 9:05 PM, 'Funmi Tofowomo Okelola' via USA Africa Dialogue Series wrote:
http://www.dw.de/a-global-vision-of-architecture/av-18472722
A Global Vision of Architecture
David Adjaye buildings can be seen all over the world, including in Moscow and Qatar. The latest design sensation by one of the world's most celebrated contemporary architects is the National Museum of African American History and Culture, located on the National Mall in Washington.
David Adjaye
Funmi Tofowomo Okelola
-In the absence of greatness, mediocrity thrives.
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