Reflections

Compiled by Norman Foster, Reflections is a personal statement about architecture, how we understand how it is perceived. Organised thematically, in a series of visual 'chapters', it collates and contrasts black-and-white photographic images from four decades of Foster's practice to create a visual narrative.
For Foster, the book reflects his belief that architecture is essentially a social art - a necessity and not a luxury - that it is generated by people's needs, which are both spiritual and material. It has much to do with optimism, joy and reassurance - of order in a disordered world; of privacy in the midst of many; of space in a crowded site; of light on a dull day. it is about quality: the quality of a space and the poetry of the light that models it.
This book attempts to explore some of these themes and ideas in an abstract way and, in doing so, to trace connections through Foster's extensive oeuvre. Some of the images will be familiar, some unexpected. Together they provide a source for reflection.