The Fabulous Ruins of Detroit

SPUR recently hosted an interesting presentation on the history of Detroit and an update on the status of its built environment. It featured several Detroiters, including Kurt Shuck and Robin Levitt, and reminded me that I am an urban snob. I tend to view San Francisco as the "greatest city on earth," so it's nice to be shaken out of that lens on a regular basis. The presenters showed some remarkable images, including a map of Detroit that showed San Francisco, Boston, and Manhattan comfortably fitting within its boundary. I had no idea the city was that large. Also, the "before" and "after" photographs of the city's "ruins" brought gasps of horror from the audience. The city has some gorgeous buildings that have been abandoned and are being demolished at a high rate. For more images, check out The Fabulous Ruins of Detroit.

As a companion piece, Katherine Westerhout's exhibit Detroit at Electric Works this month featured large format photographs she took of the city's abandoned buildings, including the Packard Plant, Tiger Stadium, and several theaters. While I thought her subject matter was more interesting than the particular photographs selected for this show, she did have some beautiful prints of interior shots where the ceiling was reflected in pools of water on the cement floor. I tend to gravitate toward reflected/dual images.