Exactly one month ago, millions of Americans went to the polls to cast their ballots, ushering in a new government and - presumably - some hope.

Not coincidentally, we unveiled The Power Issue, ushering in...well, not a new government, but what we like to think are some compelling examinations, ruminations and explanations of power.

It breaks our little gay hearts, but this here's the last installment of The Power Issue. It's become kind of a tradition to end with a piece of art. So, here's an image from I design New York: an upstart photography and branding studio based right here in lil' ol' New York City. Actually, it's based in DUMBO, which is technically a part of the broader city, but actually in Brooklyn. But, we digress...

Founded by Ronald Sella, the studio hopes to add a little theory to the whole world of advertising. We've met Sella before and judging from his off-color sense of humor and all-around good will, we've no doubt he'll shake things up a bit.

Above you see Sella's image, "The District", composed and shot especially for this occassion. Depicting a sexual liason in two parts, Sella describes "The District" as narrative piece representing the duality of domination and submission. It is, he writes, his attempt "to represent the notion of power as the display of possession or control over others or oneself".

By definition, submission involves the giving up of oneself, offering your body, mind or heart to another person: a person who then has the power to either revere or abuse one's subjectivity. That said, Sella wonders:

What if the submission is a willing decision? What if the idea of giving oneself completely over to another dominate force is just another way of taking control over oneself?

Though it would looks as the first figure retains control of the situation, preparing to bounce on the dainty, seemingly docile second subject, there's marked ambiguity in their expressions. This sentiment's enhanced by the fact that the subject's are, in fact, the same person. These hazy power relations challenge the parameters of power. The space between predator and prey become blurred, crossing from one boundary to the next.

It's only fitting that our next issue's The Boundaries Issue. We can't give away any of the tittilating details, but rest assured that it'll cross more than a few borders. As you get pumped about that exciting development, be sure to save some energy for I Design's official launch in March of 2007. We know you're brain's all sorts of damaged, so we'll be sure to remind you.