"This blog post by BuzzFeed features some incredible imagery from redundant shopping centers in the United States. The series of photos reminds us of how quickly capital moves through space, temporarily settling in places where it offers the highest returns. Obviously resulting in the constant construction of, among others, new shopping malls, and leaving many of them to rot away. The post by BuzzFeed has been incredibly popular on social media over the last week, reaching an audience far beyond the small group of architecture geeks. Once again, this emphasises the widespread fascination with urban and architectural decay, which we have been discussing in another article recently. Most photos are sourced from the blogs Architectural Afterlife and Detroiturbex, which are both worth following as well."
As I'm preparing a piece in collaboration with Langham Research Centre for the Only Connect festival (Oslo 22 - 24 May) devoted to the influence and heritage of JG Ballard, this series of images comes at a very appropriate moment. I will also be visiting Tate Britain's "Ruin Lust" exhibition next week, and attending an artist talk there by Jane and Louise Wilson, whose projects have a distinctly Ballardian character.
 |
| Image from the Buzzfeed series |
 |
| Image from the Buzzfeed series |
 |
| the face of the dead actress appeared in windows across the city.... |
 |
| we were entering a zone of permanent monitoring |
 |
| a sign indicating the cancellation of the future |
 |
| a lone pilot approached the lagoon in his seaplane |
 |
| from a lookout point above the storage tanks, he could observe the final departure of the residents |
 |
| for days he had wandered through empty pedestrian subways and abandoned car parks |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.