Swinging Seventies Offices Captured in Susan Ressler’s First Book
Author, educator and social documentary photographer Susan Ressler has spent the past 40 years documenting affluence in America, with a particular emphasis on the dynamics within corporate and consumer cultures.
This spring, the Taos, New Mexico–based talent will parlay her portfolio into her first book. Executive Order: Images of 1970s Corporate America features a vast array of images—boardrooms, offices, lobbies—that offer a nostalgic-if-anachronistic glimpse into the era’s workplaces, when desktops were more likely to hold ashtrays than computers.
“These photographs critique the underlying social structures with irony, empathy and insight,” says Ressler. “They show us that although fortunes may rise and fall, the systems of power and privilege are still firmly fixed in place.”
Accompanied by an essay from Mark Rice, professor of American studies at St. John Fisher College, the release comes from Daylight Books, a nonprofit group dedicated to revitalizing the relationship between art, photography, and the world at large through publishing.
Ressler’s book is among new spring titles that Daylight will preview at a pre-launch party April 5 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Bronx Documentary Center. Book signings will follow at Daylight’s booth during the International Photography Art Dealers show, running April 5-8 at Pier 94 on Manhattan’s West Side.
