Seeing Ambiguity

Book excerpt: In 1980 the book Judith Turner Photographs Five Architects was internationally recognized by architects who admired and valued Turner's unique way of seeing and photographing architecture. This new book contains photographs taken between 1974 and 2009 of buildings designed by 17 well-known architects including: Peter Eisenman, Louis Kahn, Fumihiko Maki, Norman Foster, Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Alvar Aalto, Shigeru Ban and Renzo Piano. From the beginning of her career, Turner has used architecture as subject matter. Ambiguity has always been a hallmark of her work where solids become voids, causing positive and negative to reverse. The photos are small fragments of architecture taken out of context. Through her eyes, the subject is decomposed and recreated, assuming a new meaning. The photographs are quiet, yet dynamic, beautifully framed compositions. Architects have commented that she exposes elements of their work they never imagined existed. Thus, while using architecture as subject matter to invent her own worlds, Turner is also revealing some of its inherent complexities.