Project Description

Project Name:
Decay
Project Description:
This project will be landscape images of industrial and urban decay. It will include images of now obsolete industry, such as the fishing industry in San Pedro and Terminal Island. I will also be looking for neglected urban structures.
Conceptual Concerns:
The concept behind this project is ruins. I want to show the physical remains of these buildings that have been abandoned and neglected. They have been left to decay and are considered an eyesore, but most people do not even notice them. They are not considered ruins because that word has the connotation of being ancient and beautiful. They are ruins but instead of being exalted, like ancient religious ruins, they are left to decay until they are torn down to make way for something new.
Technical Skills Covered:
I cannot say that I want to master using a digital SLR or shooting in RAW because this is my first experience with both. It would be naïve to think that I could master it in one project. The same can be said for Photoshop though I do not intend to do a lot of manipulation. I am hoping that this will be a good first step into working digitally and color correcting in Photoshop.
Formal Guidelines:
There will be 8-12, 7x7 prints. I am still considering shooting film and scanning it, but am working on borrowing a camera because I think it would be very beneficial for me to learn to shoot digital. I am still undecided as to whether or not the photos will be mounted.
Artistic References:
Sze Tsung Leong’s work, including HISTORY IMAGES, HORIZONS, and CITIES.
Readings:
Industrial Ruins: Space, Aesthetics and Materiality by Tim Edensor
The Aesthetics of Decay: Nothingness, Nostalgia, and the Absence of Reason by Dylan Trigg
The Aesthetics of Ruins by Robert Ginsberg
Grade:
The basis for my grade on this project should be a combination of the formal qualities of my work and the technical skills I will learn.
Goals List:
My main goal is to stop resisting digital photography. I know that it is the next step but I am apprehensive about making the leap. I will let go of all of my preconceptions and embrace the learning of something new.