CORY REYNOLDS | DATE 3/20/2015

James Mollison: Playground

A follow-up of sorts to his landmark photobook Where Children Sleep, James Mollison's beautiful new monograph collects 59 fascinating photographs of childrens' playgrounds around the world. (See more images here.) Each image is extensively captioned, providing an extra layer of point-blank sociology. Of Holtz High School, Tel Aviv, Israel, September 12, 2013, Mollison writes, "This high school is also a technical college and is affiliated with the Israeli air force. Nearly all of the pupils will be drafted into the air force as computer engineers, electronics specialists and mechanics. The 850 students come from all over the country because they want a military career or because their parents believe that it will make them well disciplined. In addition to tables for chess and ping-pong, there are a few old military aircraft spread around the campus. This photo was taken after the students had been practicing marching and military drills and while they were waiting for their parents to arrive to watch their end-of-term parade. The school belongs to the Amal group, established in 1928, a network of 120 institutions that concentrate on technological education to ensure that Israel will have the well-trained young people that it needs."