Puritan Bulletin Board

In his photographic work just as in his sculptures and projects in public space, Tom Burr, born 1963 in New Haven, is primarily concerned with the ideological and social political implications of public space, its design and architecture. In his “Brutalist Bulletin Board 2001,” he juxtaposes the “brutalist” building style of the post-war years, that became typical of car parks and public housing, with Jim Morrison’s virile body-leather spectacles. On his “Puritan Bulletin Board” (2005) Burr presents the idealized immaculateness of the white, puritanical architecture, but concentrates on detail shots where the frailties and soiling of this architecture due to the weather and traces of everyday use become visible. By using the black “bulletin board,” Burr refers to a common practice in public institutions used for both general announcements and personal matters. Burr’s thumbtacked combinations are also reminiscent of the archival compilations by cultural theorists, like the “Image Atlas” by Aby Warburg.