The Administrative Sublime: Center for Land Use Interpretation in Afterall

Michael Ned Holte's essay 'The Administrative Sublime, or The Center for Land Use Interpretation' was published in Afterall Journal Issue 13 on May 7, 2009. The text examines the Center for Land Use Interpretation (CLUI), an organization that documents and interprets human-altered landscapes across the United States. Holte explores how CLUI's bureaucratic, administrative approach to presenting land use—through photographs, maps, and databases—creates a form of the sublime, distinct from the natural sublime of the 19th century. The essay positions CLUI's work within contemporary art discourse, highlighting its influence on conceptual and land art practices. The full article is behind a paywall, accessible to journal subscribers or via individual purchase from University of Chicago Press.