Night photographs of this post-industrial city near where I grew up. I shot these in 2002-2003 with a hand held 3-megapixel point & shoot camera. I like the sketchy nature of the images, almost like drawings. I’m interested in the old neighborhoods near the industrial area, in the true heart of the city. More from this series linked here.
Ugly Roadside Architecture
I enjoy ugly buildings. What constitutes interesting architecture anyway? Noble proportions, interesting detail, grand scale? I find that often it is the simplest buildings, the most basic delapitated structures that I am attracted to. It is a catagory I would call ineligant neglected roadside architecture. These buildings are a product of their local culture and economy. It’s not organic architecture, because often the structures are pre-fab metal buildings. But they fit a need, they do the job. They have character because of their state of neglect. They have become normalized to their environment, modified in some way to make them unique. I’m not a fan of standard pre-fab structures – unless they have these differences. An essential ingredient is character, mood, tone. They radiate their influence over their environment, set the tone for the neighborhood. Ugly architecture is ok, even good. It’s honest. And there is plenty of it, take a drive down the commercial strip heading out of town, until it thins out a bit, the rents start to drop, and this is where things start to get interesting. Give it a try, take a drive, let me know what you think.
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