Thomas Struth’s Unconscious Places examines urban spaces beyond representative images of the city.

Since the late 1970s, Struth has photographed streets, squares, and residential areas in cities such as Düsseldorf, London, New York, Tokyo, Shanghai, Seoul, Lima, and St. Petersburg. The focus is not on monumental architecture or tourist views, but on everyday urban situations: streets, façades, intersections, housing blocks, and transitional spaces that are usually perceived only in passing.

Struth’s photographs present cities as built social structures. Their clear, frontal, and precise composition makes visible how architecture, traffic, history, and use interact. The images suggest that urban spaces are not only shaped by people, but also shape their behaviour, perception, and social experience.

The volume brings this central body of work together under the title Unconscious Places / Unbewusste Orte. Richard Sennett’s accompanying essay adds a cultural-sociological perspective on the city, public space, and social relations. First published in 2012, the book is now available in a more affordable study edition.