David Schalliol is an assistant professor of sociology at St. Olaf College who specializes in visual sociology. His work has appeared in such publications as Artforum, Places, The New York Times, and Social Science Research, as well as in numerous exhibitions, including the inaugural Belfast, Northern Ireland Photo Festival and the Museum of Contemporary Photography's Midwest Photographers Project. The Japanese publisher Utakatado released his first book, Isolated Building Studies, in 2014. He is director of the documentary film The Area and has contributed to films including the ITVS/Kartemquin Films feature Almost There and the National Film Board of Canada's Highrise: Out My Window, an interactive documentary that won the 2011 International Digital Emmy for Non-Fiction. Schalliol earned his bachelor's degree from Kenyon College and his master's and doctoral degrees from The University of Chicago.