Iowa courtrooms
So much happens in a courtroom. People’s lives change. Power structures alter. And we know it too; we dress them up to make clear their importance. Each room performs a version of seriousness: domes, polished wood, brass fixtures, chairs arranged for an audience we expect any minute now. In Iowa Courtrooms, I examine the staging of public places that belong to the public by law and are open to all in principle, but that most people rarely enter in practice.
So much happens in a courtroom. People’s lives change. Power structures alter. And we know it too; we dress them up to make clear their importance. Each room performs a version of seriousness: domes, polished wood, brass fixtures, chairs arranged for an audience we expect any minute now. In Iowa Courtrooms, I examine the staging of public places that belong to the public by law and are open to all in principle, but that most people rarely enter in practice.
