The Raw and the Cooked

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Peter Bialobrzeski

Hatje Cantz, Ostfildern, Germany, 2011, English, German

Nonfiction, Architecture; Nonfiction, Photography; Nonfiction, Urban Design

13.7 x 11.3 inches, hardcover, 160 pages, 128 color illustrations

ISBN: 9783775731928

Suggested Retail Price: $95.00

From the Publisher. In his book of photographs The Raw and the Cooked, Peter Bialobrzeski sets forth the essence of his observations from his unique series of photos about the development of Asian mega-cities (Neon Tigers, Lost in Transition) and their slums (Case Study Homes). Starting with the simplest, homemade vernacular architecture, based on human proportions and made with found construction materials, his photos range as far as the exorbitant planned cities of glass, steel, and concrete. Buildings rise higher and higher into the sky, more and more resources are wasted, the new unmercifully shoves aside the old. Seductively beautiful tableaux from fourteen different countries depict the kind of “progress” that triggers a sense of anxiety and trepidation. Where is all of this leading?

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John Hill

On John Hill’s Notable Books of 2012 list

Photographer Peter Bialobrzeski takes us on a voyage through Asian megacities in this large-format book, moving from the periphery to the center, from what will be torn down to what will replace it; moments of tension between the two are particularly striking. By placing the key to the names of the cities at the back of the book, we don’t perceive the difference between one place and the next; a fictional city results. In this Baudelairean stroll, night looks like day and the cities have never looked so simultaneously complex and beautiful.

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