Photographs by Timothy HursleY

Photographs by Timothy HursleY
tas
Read no farther. Instead, look quickly at the following images'
What didyou see? A common room in an assisted-livingresidencei a familyrec-room
condo;
or den; thebedroom ofyourteenage daughter; thebathroom in a sophisticatedloft
a previouslyunpublished Postmodern riffbythe late Charles Moore'
In fact, tiiese photographs, all taken by noted architectural photographer Tim Hursley,
documentsome of Nevada'slegalbrothels. These siximageswere admittedlychosen
fortheir ordinariness; prostitution of course is not ordinary. Butwhatthese places share
with manyof their more familiar counterparts is thattheyare designed environments,
with
created for a purpose and incorporating signs and syrnbols that evoke associations
other places, other contexts. Because Nevada's sexworkers typicallylive on the premises,
these facilities are at once commercial stage sets andtemporaryhomes. The question,
then, iswhether suggestions ofluxury elegance, and down-home comfort appeal more
to the customers or to the employees.
Hursleybrings a cool objectivityto these scenes, makingphotographs that are
nevertheless compassionate portraits of the invisiblewomenwho inhabitthem. Classical
motifs, comfrtradingblankets,hip glass-block, elegant damask,tea sets,Ivlarilynpostersimages are
these are tools of artifice in countless homes acrossAmerica. Together, these six
less
aboutthe shockoftheir subject matter and more aboutthe shockofthe familiar.
-
Elizabeth
S.
Padjen FAIA
Brcthels of Nevada: Candid Views of America's Legal Sex lndustry, by photographer Timothy
Press'
Hursley, with text by Alexa Albert, was published in 2004 by Princeton Architectural
Hursley's photographs from Rurat Studio: Samuel Mockbee and an Atchitecture of Decency
(princeton Architectural press, 20O2) appeared in the Summer 20O2 issue of AtchitectuteBoston.
November.December zoos
ab
27
Parlor, Shady Lady Ranch, Goldfield,2002
tlurrHteomuretsmtmr
Girls'Room, Chicken Ranch, 1986
November.December 2oo5
!
ab
29
Parlor, Salt Wells Villa, 2002
l$dhlMroEtsostDri
VIP Room, Old Bridele Ranch, Reno, 2OO3
November.December 2oo5 I ab
Parlor, Resort at Sheri's Ranch, 2O02
I mrrmrecturn
Playmate Club, 2OO2
November.December 2oo5 I ab