France Telecom Laboratories, Nice, France Possibly 1989 - 2006

This image of France Telecom Laboratories, Nice, was made by Lewis Baltz using photography. At first glance, the photograph seems pretty banal, almost like a snapshot. But the more you look, the more this image hums with a kind of quiet intensity. The photo is carefully composed, using these architectural structures in the foreground to create layers of depth. The color palette is muted. The cool, almost clinical, light makes the scene feel strangely detached, even eerie. For me, the appeal of this piece lies in its ability to find beauty in the mundane. Baltz is making an image about the aesthetics of the workplace, the kind of place where important work goes on but isn't necessarily designed to inspire. It’s like he’s saying, ‘look closer, even here there’s something worth seeing.’ It reminds me a little bit of Ed Ruscha’s deadpan photos of buildings and parking lots. They both have this eye for the unexpected poetry of everyday life.