Although it obviously doesn't feel very much like it, it's officially spring. Here in the Oise region a very particular "spring" started as well: Le Printemps de l'Industrie. Through exhibitions, workshops, lectures and company visits we get to discover our region's industrial nature. For example, did you know that the nose of the Airbus A350 and the famous Cocotte by Le Creusot are produced not far from here?
So, last weekend I visited this "industrial" photo exhibition by Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre at la Maison de la Pierre in Saint-Maximin. A surprisingly modern building for its location (a rural village) and the perfect space for these huge photos. Yves and Romain documented the ruins of the Detroit automobile industry in a series called the The Ruins of Detroit.
What struck me most about the photos, was the scale of these industrial remnants. Massive buildings were abandoned and everything is still there: tools, books, machinery, the clothing of the workers… In these pictures from Detroit I recognized "our home". Certain colors of walls and machinery were exactly the same as here at Studio Sapique:
I found the mint green walls in one of "our" factories so very pretty: they would have been the perfect backdrop for a photoshoot. But before I realized this part of the property was torn down some years ago.
Not quite like these abandoned factories in Detroit, which are still there and rarely demolished. I totally see the beauty in these abandoned spaces. The colors, the structures, the history. Do you see it too?
Wat een PRACHTfoto's!
Ja echt een verrassing om zo'n expositie hier in de buurt te treffen!
I see it… How very wonderful. I so can imagine these as backdrops of shoots. That mint green room is my fav.
Question: is all photography always yours? You don't link to anywhere so am assuming it's you. If so, do you take all pics with a tripod? These here look so accomplished!
Yup, all photography here is always mine, unless stated and except the older articles about projects & products. The photos above were done without a tripod, with my hybrid camera. (The 3rd and 5th pictures are photos of a photo of course and the 4th was made with an old digital camera, some years ago). :o)
Like the photos and your blog. The pictures reminded me of an empty factory building that I visited just outside Boston, MA in the late 1980's. The people that worked at the factory used to design and manufacture crankshafts for automobile engines. The work went to China and the plant closed. It looked like everyone just got up, left the building and locked the door. There was an awards case near the entrance of the building with all the awards the plant and people had received for the quality work that they did there. People's personal things were still at their desks. It was very sad to see this example of the decline of industry in the USA and it continues today,
Merci Craig! It's incredible indeed to see the decline and speedy abandonment of huge industries like these. The scale of it is unimaginable! We found our home in almost the same circumstances: everything was still there like the people left just 5 minutes ago. Only the agendas on the desks, with personal belongings and all their stuff in place, told us otherwise…