Publisher's Synopsis
Towers are omnipresent-their symbolism and actuality lie within the crossover of the industrial landscape and the mystical atavism of the human condition. They are a daily part of our lives, yet often we don't see things that are right in front of us.
For Peter Shire, the tower has been a core symbol and allegorical emblem of his life and work in Los Angeles. Throughout his life, Shire's ongoing confrontation with towers has engendered a kind of nostalgia; towers have become signifiers and communicators of memory, sources of anxiety about development, and snapshots of the way California was and continues to inspire us.
Towers With a Side of Ranch Dressing looks at the ways in which towers have influenced Shire's work, appearing again and again in actual and abstract forms. The Skyhook sculpture, the Plane Air Chair, and the iconic lights he designed for the 1984 Olympics are but three examples. Utilizing film stills, archival photography, and classic works of art in juxtaposition with his own work, this book studies some of the most important towers of the 20th century landscape in order to understand one of our most beloved and prolific artists.
With original essays and contributions by Anna Katz, Bettina Korek, Bobby Klein, Hans Ulrich Obrist, and Aaron Rose.
