David Maisel Interview

About two months ago I came across the photography of David Maisel, and I was instantly blown away. I started posting excerpts from his various photographic series up on BLDGBLOG – before he and I eventually got in touch.


So I decided to interview him for Archinect, another site I’m involved with, and the result of that decision was a lengthy and interesting telephone conversation, some email exchanges, and a visit to his studio out in Sausalito, CA (roughly 20 minutes after seeing the Bay Model).
That interview is now up and public.
If you get a chance, swing by and see some incredible images – and read about the draining of Owens Lake, the land art implications of mine leaching heaps, Icelandic hydropower, whether or not photographers are ever tempted to use pollution as a way to spice up an empty photograph… and much more.


The interview is here – and David’s website is here. Enjoy!

4 thoughts on “David Maisel Interview”

  1. I have greatly enjoyed both the interesting information as well as the aesthetic of BLDGBLOG and am super happy I pestered for an RSS link to make it a regular part of my web experience. Being a resident of the bay area I also appreciate this most recent focus of postings. Last but not least, I have to admit that it gave me a fanboy kind of rush when I saw that Edward Tufte finally found your site and plugged in in his AskET forum. Great work!

  2. I’ve known this artist for some time.
    he’s got some striking works.
    a part from the landscape ones,
    i was amazed by his “dust” works.
    -those are metal box – where the remains of unclaimed people who died are stored, with time the chemical reaction made this boxes become like some kind of mysterious chartographic item, a must see

  3. moon – The Library of Dust is an amazing project, and David talks about it a bit in the interview, including the archival history of the canisters and what their eventual fate may be. Interesting stuff!

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