How much did the outcome of the Cuban Missile Crisis depend on the decor of the Situation Room? An open question, to be sure, but Swiss photographer Luca Zanier brings us one step closer to sussing out the long mused-upon connection between global politics and interior design with Corridors of Power, a photo series that finds him documenting the assembly halls and board rooms where the world's biggest wigs meet to reach decisions that play out on an international stage. Running the gamut from the UN Security Council room in New York to the meeting hall of the French Communist Party, Zanier's subjects are diverse in ideology and purpose, but all share the same imposing sense of scale.
According to Zanier, shots often require months of bureaucratic wrangling to arrange and a full day to complete, as he needs to "change light, arrange seats and climb to the most impossible angles." Head to Wired for the full series, as well as a few good anecdotes from Zanier's shoots, including the time it took him four years to gain admittance to one location, and when he was so unimpressed by the World Trade Organization in Switzerland that he left without unpacking his camera. Another fun takeaway: Airbnb isn't the only place that has a meeting room that looks just like the war room from Dr. Strangelove.
· Striking Photos of the Rooms Where VIPs Shape History [Wired]
· All Office Spaces posts [Curbed National]
· All Artistry posts [Curbed National]