This work is part of the "Orientalism" project, a body of work commissioned by Zeit-Foto in 1987-88. Shibata traveled through Turkey, Morocco and Egypt. The orginal point of departure was the 19th century image of orientalism created by westerners. The product is in large part a contemporary and highly sophistcated representation of this region marked by the cool elegance that prevails throughout Shibata's work. There are images of groups in the 19th century photographic style used for defining social classes. There are also urban photographs with historical overtones. But the overall impact of "Orientalism" is of powerful and haunting landscapes which are suspended in time and place.