First published 1994
Sixteen leading photographers embark on an ambitious global project. They travel to thirty countries and spend a week living with families chosen as statistically typical for each nation. The photographers document daily life and collaborate with their hosts on a striking final portrait. Each family poses outside their home with every possession they own displayed around them. The results reveal stark contrasts. Some families own only basic containers and simple tools. Others surround themselves with mountains of electronic devices and consumer goods. Oprah Winfrey praised the collection as incredible and fascinating. The portraits expose how material wealth varies dramatically across cultures and economies. The project captures intimate moments of human experience while raising urgent questions about global consumption patterns. Can six billion people all obtain the material goods they desire? The photographs transform abstract concepts about population growth, environmental limits, and social inequality into visceral human stories.
Genres: anthropology, non-fiction, 21st-century, photography, art-history, cultural-studies
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: documentary, photo-essay
Setting: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South America
Period: 21st Century
256 pages · Hardcover · Counterpoint