Paparazzi Ethnography: An Anthropology of Surfaces and Curated Interactions is a methodological and visual study of elite energy politics conducted between 2010 and 2017. Examining conferences, executive forums, and expert gatherings, the project investigates the staging of authority within contemporary energy governance.

The forthcoming book advances three methodological propositions. First, an anthropology of surfaces treats appearance, spatial design, grooming, and ritualized interaction as primary ethnographic data. Second, the study of fleeting moments focuses attention on brief, choreographed encounters in which authority is publicly enacted. Third, emblematic data examines visual artifacts —charts, simulations, and technical renderings — as technologies that stabilize particular visions of the future.

Together, these approaches develop an ethnography attuned to surfaces, moments, and images as constitutive elements of expert power. The research received support from the U.S. National Science Foundation, Fulbright Awards (Norway, Russia, and Canada), and Wenner-Gren Foundation, serving as a conceptual precursor to the Inside the Energy Salon trilogy (2024–2026).

StudioPolar

StudioPolar

"...a surface form for designing scholarship, expertise, and strategic coordination."