Irénée Scalbert writes with clarity about buildings and cities. Taking a non-ideological stance, he does not push politics, and instead focuses on buildings and spaces that contribute to our everyday surroundings. 

Following the publication of 2018’s A Real Living Contact with the Things Themselves, Totems is the second collection of Scalbert’s essays, published by the Swiss publishing house Park Books. That collection was historical in its approach, whereas Totems is more personal in tone.