The more I thought about “Living Monuments” the more I realized it is not about beauty at all, it is about exploration. “Living Monuments” aims to demonstrate that no person can understand anything for its surface value. In order to reveal the true value we must investigate and observe. This is why I decided to incorporate a stop motion video into the project. Though each photograph captures one specific moment of exploration and finding, it is by piecing together each point of interest that the value of the building begins to arise.
The weekend of Feb. 13th I decided to explore the area around W Michigan St. and N White River Pkwy. I enlisted two of my roommates to help me navigate. The first factory we found was located on the intersection of these two streets. This factory was a very interesting shape and appeared to consist of the original building with newer additions. The photographs I took were from across the street because it is a working factory (a corn milling factory) and it was surrounded by a fence. Not long after I arrived a few of the workers came outside and watched me photograph. A man walked by and explained to me that there are definitely better looking places in Indianapolis to photograph. Though I somewhat disagree, I laughed and said yes. I figured it would have been too complicated to explain.
Silos of Relief
UntitledCollective Canvas
The next weekend I went to a building on E. Market St. and N New Jersey St. When I fist arrived at the factory I was disappointed because the building was dull gray and did not seem to have much character. I was a little skeptical about whether or not I would be able to capture anything interesting. I realized, however, that the sky was abnormally blue for winter, which complimented the gray building and the red spots created by rust and exposed bricks. The bright sun created bold geometric shadows leaving patterns on the sides of the building. Had the building been more complex, the shadows would have been lost and the bright primary colors would not have been as obvious.
Angels in the Architecture
Parallel Universe
Galvanized Perspective
One of the challenges of Living Monuments was locating factories to photograph. My process of locating the factories started with a google search and an email of a few suggested locations. The first building was between Kentucky Ave and W McCarty st. on Sand st. This was a good building to start with because it embodies exactly what I had pictured when I first decided to do the project. To me, the fact that it is still a working factory makes the pictures even more interesting. The crumbling sides and overgrown plants are a perfect contrast to the lights glowing through the windows.
Brick
Arose Among Thorns
Artist Statement
My project “Living Monuments” captures the beauty of abandoned factories through photographs. I have been interested in the appearance of decaying factories for several years. The exact reason is a mystery to me. It could be the fact that the geometric angles move my eye across the structure from one point to the next. Perhaps it is that the large flat concrete areas create a canvas perfect for exhibiting the shadows created by textured objects. In my photograph “Angels in the Architecture”, the shadows formed by the protruding bricks create a halo effect on the factory wall. My photographs capture the beauty of abandoned factories that many others consider ugly. Some of the photographs contain bright colors creating a bright feeling. Others exhibit subtle tones of color.
Not only are factories aesthetically beautiful, factories are very much full of life. The factories are full of life because they change every day. Their life has been impacted not only by the weather and passing time, the people who once worked in the buildings add to the factory’s history. Not only do my photographs capture the beauty of the buildings, they depict the fact that these factories have lived a life. For example, though the building in “Arose Among Thorns” is crumbling, these imperfections caused by its interaction with the environment contribute to the factory’s subtle colors that were not visible when the building was new. Though abandoned and decaying, these factories now stand as monuments representing strength, history, and beauty.
