Thanks to the grand amount of snow we had in December and February, one of the houses I’ve photographed has been destroyed (click over to the right a few times on the map).
(Bittersweet, last Thanksgiving, there was snow on the ground. Full circle, eh?)
I photographed the house in an effort to create a project for my photojournalism class. It didn’t turn out as planned and I ended up scrapping the idea. Nevertheless, the actual exploration was fun.
Granted, it was supposed to be demolished over two years ago, the house stood until its roof collapsed. The next time I drove past it, it was rubble.
That was months ago.
Lucky for me, I had the opportunity to shoot its remains today.
I’m pretty sad that this happened. I’ve always hated the idea of familiar things going away. at the same time, some of those changes are what intrigue me and make me want to photograph them.
I think I’ve been inspired to do a before and after series. Since I’ve always been fascinated with what once was, I’ll be trying to keep tabs on the abandoned houses I’ve shot and possibly small businesses around town and see how they’re changing over time.
Hooray.
While I was browsing on Digg.com, I came across two intriguing photo series.
Dark Stores
The first was photos of vacant stores and malls that had been affected by the economic problem we’ve been having. Photographer, Brian Ulrich, has been documenting places that had been shut down.
Dark Stores, Ghost Boxes and Dead Malls is part of another project Ulrich has which focuses on consumerism. This particular project, started in 2008, caught my attention because I’ve always been intrigued by broken down buildings. I thought they had a feeling of modern ruins and I would always try to create some sort of history for them.
I like to explore and imagine what once went on in these places. In Ulrich’s photos, many places were so recently shut down, that they only looked like they had been closed for the evening. In his statement, he notes that since taking the photos, “some of the very stores I photographed at the beginning of the project are now emptied and laid barren in the hulking empty architecture of the big box, mall or store.”
Belz Factory Outlet Mall, 2009 (c) Brian Ulrich
Fallen Princesses
There is something so satisfying about messing with fairy tales. Dina Goldstein‘s modern take on fairy tales is an awesome set to look at.
Inspired by children’s’ aspiration to grow into fairy tale princesses, Goldstein’s Fallen Princesses spins the classic Disney ‘happily ever afters’ into something modern and rather Grimm-like.
The series features timeless princesses like Cinderella, Rapunzel and Snow White all facing their own personal demons along with other classic faces from our childhood.
Belle’s portrait is particularly interesting. She’s shown getting plastic surgery – which is a keen play on the fact that her entire story was based on looking past appearances.
Fallen Princesses - Jasmine (c) Dina Goldstein
Fallen Princesses - Belle (c) Dina Goldstein
Fallen Princesses - Ariel (c) Dina Goldstein