Amphibious Realities: Allan Sekula's Documentary Poetics

The first monograph dedicated to the work of photographer, filmmaker and theorist Allan Sekula. In four chapters it addresses his: mapping of global capitalism; engagement with history from below; interest in structural linguistics, particularly ideas of metaphor and metonymy; and his exploration of psychoanalytic themes. Each chapter zooms in on particular works: Aerospace Folktales and Fish Story; Waiting for Teargas; Lottery of the Sea; and Between the net and the Deep Blue Sea and Titanic's Wake. Sekula's work is often addressed via the subjects or themes he explored - contaoinerisation or the alter-globalisation movement - here we consider the poetics of documentary form. The book includes 300 colour and 6 black-and white images.