Saturday, April 4, 2009

100 Views


Photographer Kevin Bauman has created a hauntingly beautiful photo essay that captures 100 abandoned houses in Detroit.

He writes: "I have developed an interest in the interaction between man and environment. Whether the urban decay associated with Detroit, or the mountains of the western United States, my focus has been and continues to be on the landscape. My landscapes, however, do not always reflect the idyllic scene most often portrayed by the traditional landscape photograph or painting, but ranges from serene Lake Superior sunsets to chaotic post-industrial landscapes of urban Detroit."


The collection reminds me of Andō Hiroshige's One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, a series of woodcuts depicting Tokyo as an economic and cultural power in the 18th century. Bauman is depicting a once-great city as it desperately tries to survive. Despite the wildly different circumstances, both artists capture a sense of pride that permeates each place.












(Photos courtesy of www.hiroshige.org.uk and www.kevinbauman.com)



3 comments:

  1. Awesome pictures- the eloquently captured struggle of a city descending into disprepair

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  2. These pictures are so sad. Detroit use to be such a great place.

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  3. The houses of Bassett Place are looking better all the time.

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Thanks for commenting. I moderate comments, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. You might enjoy my book about Flint called "Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City," a Michigan Notable Book for 2014 and a finalist for the 33rd Annual Northern California Book Award for Creative NonFiction. Filmmaker Michael Moore described Teardown as "a brilliant chronicle of the Mad Maxization of a once-great American city." More information about Teardown is available at www.teardownbook.com.