Red Booths 1986

John Register's "Red Booths" presents a row of vacant red booths under stark lighting. The high-key lighting gives the vinyl of the booth a glossy sheen, contributing to the sense of stillness. The geometry is precise; the linear arrangement of the booths with their tables creates a sense of depth through the use of one-point perspective. Register's work can be seen through the lens of structuralism; it's not just about what is depicted but how these elements are structured to evoke a feeling. The repetitive form of the booths invites us to contemplate themes of alienation and the uncanny, ideas central to post-structuralist thought. The semiotics of the space suggests a liminal zone, a place between places, a waiting area, highlighting a sense of absence. The painting serves as a cultural signifier of American diners, yet the emptiness challenges our expectations, inviting us to decode its underlying structure and question the nature of the spaces we inhabit.