Trevor Paglen is an artist and writer whose work deliberately blurs the lines between social science, contemporary art, and journalism. Through meticulously researched explorations, Paglen constructs unfamiliar yet accessible ways of seeing and interpreting the world around us. His visual works and publications investigate hidden systems of power and the visual cultures that shape our understanding of reality. Paglen's work challenges viewers to critically consider how we see and interpret the world, revealing the unseen aspects of modern life.
This book chronicles a project intended to explain to someone--at some point in the distant future--what happened to the people who built derelict spacecraft. Artist/geographer Paglen spent four years interviewing scientists and others about the profound contradictions that characterize contemporary civilizations.
Set in a hidden world of top-level clearance, the narrative unveils a realm that operates beyond the public's awareness. The updated paperback edition introduces new material, enhancing the intrigue and depth of this secretive universe. Readers will explore the complexities and dangers of navigating through layers of classified information and the implications of such secrecy on society.
The 70 military shoulder patches presented in this book reveal a secret world of military imagery and jargon, where classified projects are known by peculiar names and illustrated with occult symbols and ridiculous cartoons. The patches are precisely photographed, hinting at a world about which little is known
Invisible: Covert Operations and Classified Landscapes is Trevor Paglen's long-awaited first photographic monograph. Social scientist, artist, writer and provocateur, Paglen has been exploring the secret activities of the U.S. military and intelligence agencies--the "black world"--for the last eight years, publishing, speaking and making astonishing photographs. As an artist, Paglen is interested in the idea of photography as truth-telling, but his pictures often stop short of traditional ideas of documentation. In the series Limit Telephotography, for example, he employs high-end optical systems to photograph top-secret governmental sites; and in The Other Night Sky, he uses the data of amateur satellite watchers to track and photograph classified spacecraft in Earth's orbit. In other works Paglen transforms documents such as passports, flight data and aliases of CIA operatives into art objects. Rebecca Solnit contributes a searing essay that traces this history of clandestine military activity on the American landscape.