The American Business Interiors Series

During the late 1970’s to 1980, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) commissioned The Los Angeles Documentary Project. The photographic survey was “a visual examination of the sociological and topographical diversity of one of the most dynamic and unusual cities in the world.” Enlisting eight photographers to work on the project, the purpose of the initiative was to ‘study the social impact of growth and change on the city and also its significance in postmodernist urban theory.’ Photographer Susan Ressler, produced a series entitled American Business Interiors as part of the project, where she visited a range of ‘high tech’ companies and banks. Ressler’s nostalgic images capture the near beginnings of the rebranding of LA’s industries to become Silicon Valley. The American Business Interiors collection along with the rest of the Los Angeles Documentary Project series is archived at the Smithsonian American Art Museum: a museum that is dedicated to American art and ‘experience’. What is particularly intriguing about this particular series is how the documentation of office space – places of work – can reflect so much of an era; giving us an insight into the ideals of the time. Which begs the question: what will the modern office say about the current culture and values?]]>