Gallery Talk and Book Signing
by Mark Robbins at the Light Work Gallery

Friday, October 6 from 5 to 8 pm at Light Work

Syracuse University School of Architecture Dean Mark Robbins will present a gallery talk and book signing for his recently published book, "Households," on October 6 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Light Work Gallery at Syracuse University. The gallery talk will begin at 6 p.m. with a reception to follow. There will also be an exhibit of recent work by Robbins, part of a larger installation project for the Quito Biennale.

In a series of portraits of people and their homes, "Households" presents a contemporary visual commentary on the complex social and political forces that contribute to the built environment. Photographed in their houses and gardens, Robbins presents film-strip narratives about people, architecture, and "lifestyle." In addition to an introduction by the author, "Households" features essays by Bill Horrigan, Curator of Film and Video at the Wexner Center for the Arts, and Julie Lasky, Editor-in-Chief of "I.D." magazine.

The work of Mark Robbins bridges the fields of art and architecture, encompassing photography, installations, and site-specific pieces. It explores the intersection of the built environment with cultural practices, focusing on the relationship between commercial and mainstream political representations and the actualities of daily life. His work has been exhibited in numerous venues in the United States and abroad.   He is a recipient of the Rome Prize from the American Academy in Rome and fellowships from the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard and the New York Foundation for the Arts. He has received awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Graham Foundation and the State Arts Councils of New York and Ohio. Robbins is currently Dean of Syracuse University's School of Architecture and was previously Director of Design at the National Endowment for the Arts and Curator of Architecture at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, OH.

"Households" by Mark Robbins, The Monacelli Press, 2006, 152 pages; hardcover; 11 X 9 inches, 150 color photographs, ISBN 1-58093-164-2; $40

For more information, contact Mary Kate O'Brien, communications manager for the School of Architecture, at (315) 443-2388 or mcobrien@syr.edu.

###