Architecture Dean Robbins to give gallery talk, sign new book at Light Work Gallery

Architecture Dean Robbins to give gallery talk, sign new book at Light Work GallerySeptember 21, 2006Mary Kate O’Brienmcobrien@syr.edu

Syracuse University School of Architecture Dean Mark Robbins will present a gallery talk and book signing for his recently published book, “Households” (The Monacelli Press, 2006) Friday, Oct. 6, from 5-8 p.m. at the Light Work Gallery. The gallery talk will begin at 6 p.m. with a reception to follow. There will also be an exhibition of recent work by Robbins, part of a larger installation project for the Quito Biennale.

In a series of portraits of people and their homes, “Households” presents a contemporary visual commentary on the complex social and political forces that contribute to the built environment. With his subjects photographed in their houses and gardens, Robbins presents film-strip narratives about people, architecture and “lifestyle.” In addition to an introduction by the author, “Households” features essays by Bill Horrigan, curator of film and video at the Wexner Center for the Arts, and Julie Lasky, editor-in-chief of “I.D.” magazine.

Robbins’ work bridges the fields of art and architecture, encompassing photography, installations and site-specific pieces. It explores the intersection of the built environment with cultural practices, focusing on the relationship between commercial and mainstream political representations and the actualities of daily life. His work has been exhibited in numerous venues in the United States and abroad. He is a recipient of the Rome Prize from the American Academy in Rome and fellowships from the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University and the New York Foundation for the Arts. He has received awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Graham Foundation and the State Arts Councils of New York and Ohio. Robbins was previously director of design at the National Endowment for the Arts and curator of architecture at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio.