Unfamiliar Streets: The Photographs of Richard Avedon, Charles Moore, Martha Rosler, and Philip-Lorca diCorcia

Attempting to consider "the street equally as site and subject", Bussard (coauthor of Color Rush) offers a shift in the academic understanding of street photography. The book centers on four topics%E2%80%94the Parisian streets of Richard Avedon's fashion photography; the streets of Birmingham, erupting into civil rights protests in the photojournalism of Charles Moore; the empty Bowery, paired alongside text, in the conceptual work of Martha Rosler; and iconic Times Square as explored by Philip-Lorca diCorcia, the only one of those included who is commonly considered a street photographer. These case studies bring a number of disciplines to bear on the photographs, including history, urban studies, and sociology, and it is this attempted elaboration of the genre that is Bussard's true project. As she describes it, her goal is to offer "a generative model to others who aim to expand the conversation surrounding street photographs." The chapters themselves stand as proof to this possibility. Bussard moves through the broadness of her subject with ease, and her insights make it clear that, in the right hands, her suggested mode has much to offer. Stunning images, rolling questions, and a genuinely fresh way of viewing familiar subjects all come fruitfully together. Color illus. (Mar.)