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Abandoned Detroit

Collected by: San Jose State University, School of Information

Archived since: Sep, 2014

Description:

This collection is comprised of a modest sampling of sites that feature images, articles, and commentary reflecting diverse perspectives on photographing Detroit’s urban and industrial ruins. Photographs of abandoned and decaying spaces in Detroit, also known as “ruin porn,” have become the poster child for industrial decline in the United States. The term ruin porn is attributed to James Griffioen, Detroit resident and photographer, who used the term during a 2009 interview with Vice magazine to describe journalists flocking to Detroit following the 2008 financial crisis. Griffioen argued that these journalists neglected the complexity of the city’s economic problems and overlooked examples of health and growth by presenting the images out of context and through a prism of stylized photography to manipulate the narrative that the media presents about the city. As the economic health of Detroit begins to rebound, these discussions will be a part of its history; the possible transformation of these buildings and spaces from ruin to reclamation will make documenting its progression even more important.

Subject:   Arts & Humanities Society & Culture Detroit (Mich.) Ruins, Modern Detroit (Mich.)--History Photojournalism Architecture, American Architecture and society Abandoned buildings

Page 1 of 1 (8 Total Results)

Title: Detroiturbex.com - Exploring and Understanding the City of Detroit

URL: http://detroiturbex.com/

Description: This site attempts to document the history of Detroit through urban exploration, also known as "urbex." The site contains various pictures of abandoned buildings in Detroit organized by location and building type. They also provide an interactive "now and then" feature which lets the viewer compare photographs of different buildings over time to see how they have evolved.

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Subject:   Ruins, Modern Detroit (Mich.)--History Photojournalism Architecture and society Abandoned buildings

Title: Artpod: Art vs. ruin porn

URL: http://michiganradio.org/post/artpod-art-vs-ruin-porn

Description: This site features a podcast and article discussing the use of Detroit's abandoned landscape as the subject of photographic works. Different photographers are interviewed about how and why they use Detroit specifically for their work. Detroit photographers Roman Blanquart and Brian Widdis are also interviewed about their photographic project to counter the photographic obsession with Detroit ruins.

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Subject:   Detroit (Mich.) Ruins, Modern Photojournalism Abandoned buildings Architecture and society

Title: Rejecting ‘Ruin Porn'

URL: http://wilsonquarterly.com/quarterly/summer-2014-where-have-all-the-jobs-gone/rejecting-ruin-porn/

Description: Excerpts from "Decay and Resurrection: An Engineer on the Ecosystem of Abandoned Buildings" by Paul Dannels Image 25, Winter 2013. “The aesthetic longing to gaze is too close to the less wholesome impulse to gawk…” This article contains an abridged portion of the article, “Decay and Resurrection” by Paul Dannels published in Image, Winter 2013. Specifically highlighted in this document is the potential that lies in the seemingly abandoned buildings. It addresses architectural challenges associated with rebuilding Detroit and rejecting the concept of “Ruin Porn” to avoid completely losing the buildings and the city’s history to the deleterious effects of time.

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Subject:   Detroit (Mich.)--History Photojournalism Ruins, Modern Architecture and society Architecture, American

Title: Detroit's Abandoned Ruins Are Captivating, But Are They Bad For Neighborhoods?

URL: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/30/detroit-ruins_n_4519731.html

Description: Since declaring bankruptcy, the city of Detroit has noticed and influx of visitors taking part in various tours of an estimated 78,000 abandoned buildings. However for the residents of Detroit, the blight is just part of the landscape. An estimated fifth of the cars driving through some of the most affluent neighborhoods are now comprised of urban explorers who are both gawking at the ruins and learning about the city’s history. Some city officials call the blight a cancer on the city and are taking measures to demolish or repurpose the dilapidated structures while others are capitalizing on the “ruin porn” phenomenon.

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Subject:   Photojournalism Detroit (Mich.) Ruins, Modern Architecture, American Architecture and society

Title: What's Really Pornographic? The Point of Documenting Detroit

URL: http://www.theawl.com/2011/09/whats-really-pornographic-the-importance-of-understanding-detroit

Description: This article provides a response by Willy Staley to the article "Detroitism" by John Patrick Leary that was published by the Guernica in 2011. In it he argues that documenting the state of Detroit through photography is important and should be seen as "a reminder that in America we actually do abandon our neighbors and let our cities die, time and time again."

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Subject:   Ruins, Modern Photojournalism Detroit (Mich.)--History Architecture and society Abandoned buildings

Title: Motown or Ghostown? Ruin Porn In Detroit

URL: http://www.thewire.com/entertainment/2011/01/motown-or-ghostown-ruin-porn-in-detroit/21443/

Description: This document evaluates various treatments/articles devoted to addressing the effects of depicting the post-recession images of Detroit as “ruin porn”. Commentaries explored range from cautionary tales of the city as a microcosm of a systemic crisis to the counterproductive effect that the concept of “ruin porn” has on the people of Detroit, poverty and art as a movement.

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Subject:   Photojournalism Detroit (Mich.) Ruins, Modern Architecture, American Architecture and society

Title: Turning Suffering into a Still Life

URL: http://www.utne.com/arts/ruin-porn-detroit-aesthetics-complexity-of-seeing.aspx

Description: This article explores the artistic relationship associated and established by the subject and the gazer and questions the ethical repercussions of what is being seen through the lens of photojournalism vs. what is being looked at as art. The term, “Ruin Porn” is used to describe the practice of gazing at images of economically distressed cities around the world.

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Subject:   Detroit (Mich.)--History Ruins, Modern Photojournalism Architecture, American Architecture and society

Title: Detroitism

URL: https://www.guernicamag.com/features/leary_1_15_11/

Description: This article discusses the rising popularity of the industrial ruins in Detroit and the impacts it has had on the city.

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Subject:   Ruins, Modern Detroit (Mich.) Abandoned buildings Photojournalism Architecture and society

Page 1 of 1 (8 Total Results)