Andrew Moore has provided us a record of the decay that faces major cities in the Rust Belt. He chose Detroit as his landscape, probably because it was hit the hardest. But it also could have been Cleveland, or Buffalo or Youngstown. His large format photos, primarily of closed auto plants have power, mostly due the scale of the buildings. The photos are well composed and edited and include the details that many photographers leave out.As a photographer I appreciate the tremendous amount of work that goes into a project like this. There were only a few photos, in dark interiors that I wish had been lit a little better, or more completely. And having just read the Erroll Morris book on truth in photography, I couldn't help but wonder if some of these photos had objects within the image manipulated or moved. In one dramatic photo from an abandoned downtown library, a large colorful world globe sits on top of a desk while a large map is spread out on the floor, with a book holding one side down. And there are other photos that I wonder about. The text does not address this.But all in all an outstanding record of human waste and corporate and governmental powers inability to grasp problems on this scale, or have the foresight and compassion to do anything when it starts to happen. Definitely worth a look. Two comments:1) More of Detroit is older than I thought. Some of the images in this book could be taken from any abandoned factory or warehouse anywhere in America, but I was impressed and saddened by scene after scene of beautiful Art Deco ornamentation falling to pieces.2) Detroit is full of forgotten chairs and desks. I was amazed that no one was scavenging what looked to be functional furniture --- perhaps another indication of how far the city has fallen in such a short time.
What do You think about Detroit Disassembled (2010)?
Excellent photography capturing the rust belt in all of its 21st century decaying glory.
—TheBeeMari
the best collection of Detroit "ruin-porn" photographs I've seen.
—princesskayte