In 2011, Washington DC-based photojournalist-turned-art-photographer Jay Turner Frey Seawell began photographing political architecture in the United States as a metaphor for the structures and relationships of power they represent. As 2012 approached, he expanded his focus to capture the media surrounding the United States presidential election, a larger series he titled National Trust. Using various locations around the country as his backdrop, Seawell approached this landscape with images ranging from news reporters, to the somber historical architecture and its looming facades. Anchormen appear silhouetted on stage curtains, reporters seem disfigured behind LED lights that cast them as strange mechanical robots. Smart phones and dictaphones swarm candidates, grabbing for a sound byte.  

Pulling apart the seams of contemporary news production, National Trust, published at the end of 2016 by Skylark Editions, humorously explores the spectacle of politics, power, and the stories that report on them. In some ways, Seawell's work calls to mind the playwright Bertholt Brecht, who famously made stage cues and other mechanics transparent to his audience, revealing their alienating intents. While initially shot an election-cycle ago, Seawell's work feels increasingly current, especially in light of today's tumultuous relationship between the media, public, and those in positions of power. 

I corresponded with Seawell to learn more about his work and ideas. 

Interview by Jon Feinstein