Small town, large-scale

Artistic licence is one thing, but not many people are allowed to block off entire streets and burn down houses in the name of art. Gregory Crewdson, however, is a rather exceptional photographer. Between 2003 and 2005, he commandeered the small town of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, for Beneath the Roses - a project in which he staged tableaux depicting the dark undercurrents of suburban life, employing 55 actors. "I want a sense of complicated beauty," he says, "not a beauty that is purely seductive or elegant." Elaine Hake

A retrospective of Crewdson's work is at the Fotomuseum Winterthur, Switzerland, until August 20. Images courtesy of Luhring Augustine, New York.