German spa facilities are sites at which one can apparently be cured of chronic illnesses. Whether they date from the nineteenth century, the post-war period, or today, these places are fast becoming leisure-time oases. In a new series, Lucinda Devlin has photographed the deserted interiors of these bathhouses, framing clinically sterile rooms meant for massages, baths, examinations and relaxation. These empty zones are silent testimonials to a healing industry that is thoughtfully tailored to people, even while its equipment subjugates them completely. Tellingly, they recall the rooms of Devlin's earlier series: the operating theaters, mortuaries and autopsy rooms in Corporal Arenas and the U.S. execution chambers in The Omega Suites . With her coolly remote photographs, Devlin presents the relationships between people and institutions, and then shows how certain facilities depersonalize those relationships. Water Rites conveys an insightful view into the--typically German?--mentality and source of our institutionalized humanity.
ThriftBooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. We personally assess every book's quality and offer rare, out-of-print treasures. We deliver the joy of reading in recyclable packaging with free standard shipping on US orders over $15. ThriftBooks.com. Read more. Spend less.