In the Place of the Public: Airport Series
1983–present
These photographs, accumulated over a long period of time, were taken in transit to inviting institutions, beginning in 1983. Rosler became part of a traveling class which, in the 1980s, was out of the reach of most commuters or tourists. The images are accompanied by text printed in vinyl letters and based on the functional tone of directions, dos, and don’ts, designed for transfer and border zones. After the 2001 attacks in New York and the tightening of border and immigration controls that followed, Rosler updated the installation text to focus more strongly on the politics of scrutiny and to demonstrate how they have spread beyond airports to include the spaces of everyday life.