Every Building on the Sunset Strip 1966

Curator: Edward Ruscha’s 1966 artist book, *Every Building on the Sunset Strip*, presents a continuous photographic document of the iconic Los Angeles street. Editor: It feels so detached, almost like an architectural survey rather than a celebration of place. Curator: Precisely. The book’s accordion structure and the black and white imagery create a systematic, almost clinical representation. The seriality emphasizes the repetitive nature of the built environment. Editor: But what about the labor involved? The printing, the binding, the sheer act of documenting such a long stretch—it speaks to a particular kind of engagement with the urban landscape. Curator: I agree it is not impersonal, but it is formally rigorous. Ruscha manipulates the visual information to create an almost cinematic effect. The structure offers both a sequential narrative and a static composition. Editor: Yes, but the book itself becomes a commodity, mirroring the commercialism it depicts. Curator: Both are valid observations; I find that Ruscha is successful in walking that fine line. Editor: Agreed. It makes us think about urban space not as something organic, but as a manufactured object.