I dropped by the Electric Works in San Francisco’s SOMA last weekend to see Fine Art Photographe Katherine Westerhout’s ‘Rust Belt’ exhibition, and wasn’t disappointed.
Katherine, a Bay Area native, has been recording her Rust Belt series for several years, using only available light and film, with emphasis on digital enhancement in order to truly represent what the eye sees. The project offers a glimpse into forgotten America — buildings once of huge cultural and social significance now left to decay since the decline of the steel industry, beginning in the 1970’s, that once defined the landscape.
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Her work is reminiscent of Robert Polodori’s image studies, notably ‘Chernobyl’ and ‘New Orleans’, where the study of social collapse is recorded through observations of the decay and neglect to the surrounding architecture and infrastructure. Polodori, dubbed the ‘connoisseur of chaos’, battled the extreme conditions to document New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Using a large format camera, natural light and long exposures, Polodori mastered colour, shadows and texture to breath life into the desolate surroundings.
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5417 Marigny Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 2006, Robert Polidori
5417 Marigny Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 2006, Robert Polidori
5000 Cartier Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana, September 2005, Robert Polidori
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Like Polodori, Westerhout’s Rust Belt exposes human fragility and the severity of it’s consequences. While its clear they share stylistic similarities, both subjects feel independent of one another and worthy of coexistence. Recording rot is no new thing after all, and just the other week I stumbled across another project, unambiguously entitled ‘100 Abandoned Houses’ by Kevin Bauman.
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The series, recorded over a period of 15 years, chronicled the decline of Detroit through portraits of abandoned buildings. Overall, it would seem that some of the most arresting images come from the most unfortunate observations.
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Another photographer that shoots a similar subject matter is Rob Dobi – http://photos.dobi.nu/
He seems to seek out so many different types of these abandoned places, his medical / care series I find especially eerie as the buildings don’t look overly dilapidated, just deserted.
That’s a great shout Rob, thanks for sharing the link.
Loving Katherine’s work. Definitely going to check it out.
On the subject of ‘recording rot’, i’ve also come across some great projects by Eric Tabuchi and Mark Power.
Eric Tabuchi’s paid homage to Ed Ruscha’s ‘Twentysix Gasoline Stations’ with his own series ‘Twentysix anbandoned Gasoline Stations’
http://www.erictabuchi.fr/index.php?/editions/twentysix-abandoned-gasoline-stations/
Magnum photographer Mark Power has a beautiful book called ‘Treasury Project’ where he was commissioned to photograph the refurbishment of the new HM Treasury building on Whitehall.
http://store.magnumphotos.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2095
When you see archaeologists discovering a new temple or artifact it makes me think of what people will find in say 200 years time here, A lot of glass, iPods and Tesco bags?
As a kid I always loved discovering derelict factories (There are a lot in Lancashire!) and seeing where people worked and what they had left behind. Then working for an Architects I had many field trips to abandoned sites which always fascinated me.
This post reminded me of an article from Vice magazine about an abandoned workers island in Japan:
http://vice.typepad.com/vice_magazine/2009/04/japan-my-trip-to-battleship-island.html
Really interesting pictures like above.
wonderful!
you’ve got an talent to see real beauty. Well done!