Synopsis
Embassy architecture and design ranges from the humble to the stately, from the practical to the grand. Building Diplomacy is the first comprehensive photographic portrait of the official face of American diplomacy around the world. Elizabeth Gill Lui traveled to fifty countries to photograph American embassies, chanceries, and ambassadors' residences. This record of her journey includes approximately five hundred artful and eloquent interior and exterior views shot by Lui with a large-format camera. Keya Keita, Lui's daughter and partner on the project, shot a live-action documentary of embassies and the cultural milieu of each nation Lui and Keita visited. The text includes an essay by Jane Loeffler detailing the history of the U.S. Department of State's building program.America's commitment to historic preservation of properties has been realized in Buenos Aires, London, Paris, Prague, and Tokyo. The modernist tradition is showcased in Argentina, Greece, India, Indonesia, Mexico, the Netherlands, and Uruguay. Vernacular buildings adapted to diplomatic use are widespread: Lui photographed examples of adapted reuse in Ghana, Iceland, Mongolia, Myanmar, and Palau. Buildings that reflect Europe's colonial legacy are also in evidence. After the 1983 bombing in Beirut, embassy construction began to reflect increased security concerns. Embassies built after 1998, although isolated within walled compounds, are well regarded by those who work in them. The author makes a case that embassy architecture is a critical aspect of American identity on the international landscape and can be formative in defining a new cultural diplomacy in the twenty-first century.Structured geographically, Building Diplomacy portrays embassies in Africa, East Asia, Europe, the Near East, the Pacific, South Asia, and the Western Hemisphere. An appendix lists the architects and designers of the featured buildings. More information about Building Diplomacy is also available.
Review
"The embassy buildings break down architecturally into different types: There is the adapted vernacular, exemplified by a dilapidated gray plaster building from 1980 in Ulan Bator, Mongolia. Then there are sumptuous historic houses, like the Hotel de Talleyrand in Paris. A staple backdrop for cocktail parties in Cold War-era spy movies, this type reflects the shift of power to the United States: many of these buildings are former bastions of European supremacy, now controlled by the State Department." Frances Anderton, New York Times, October 24, 2004"
"Travelers associating the words 'American embassy' only with lost passports and long lines are missing out. Judging from the 40-plus locations showcased in Building Diplomacy, travel guides might be advised to list America's foreign diplomatic centers under 'Things to See.' . . . For Lui, the project was more than a collection of architectural photographs. Her hope, she says, is that it will 'really appeal to the American people to build a constituency for cultural diplomacy.'" Leslee Komaiko, Los Angeles Times, October 10, 2004"
"The history on display here shows architecutre as an expression of both art and politics. It also suggests some career direction: Anyone at the State Department feeling angst-ridden should, clearly, start angling to become deputy chief of mission in Madrid. Trust me." Warren Bass, Washington Post Book World, December 19 25, 2004"
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