Brandon Davis is a photographer from Ohio who has been capturing abandonment in Detroit, Michigan, and the possessions that have been left behind from a throwaway society, for six years. In an interview, Davis states that he “enjoys documenting the way human and natural elements have caused each building to decay in such interesting ways.”
This particular photo was taken inside Mark Twain’s library in Detroit, which closed in 1996 for renovations and never reopened. The poignant image to me epitomises the carelessness of society, and the highlights the transition into a new digital age, where books are no longer seen as a luxury.Studying Twain in Literature, I find the composition of the photograph ironic, as it is almost a river of books, linking to the prominent setting of the Mississippi river seen in “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” and “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”. The image also highlights the hypocrisy and carelessness of society, a key theme in Twain’s novels.
The photograph has a warm tone to give it a reminiscent feel of a past time, when the library was used, which contrasts the cold state of abandonment that it is in now. The low angle and portrait orientation draws attention to the vast scale of leftover books and the decaying state of the building that holds them.
The photograph has a warm tone to give it a reminiscent feel of a past time, when the library was used, which contrasts the cold state of abandonment that it is in now. The low angle and portrait orientation draws attention to the vast scale of leftover books and the decaying state of the building that holds them.
This photograph by Davis features the abandoned Globe Trading Co. built in 1892, which is in Detroit, Michigan. The low-key lighting in the photograph creates a lonely and abandoned atmosphere, further emphasized by the debris and rubbish on the floor. Through the balcony there are new corporate buildings. The low angle of the photograph makes it seem like they are towering over the abandoned factory, making it feel small and insignificant and highlighting its neglect from society. Also, the only source of light in the photograph is through the windows and balcony, showing that the world outside is thriving while the interior of the building is decaying.
This photograph is of Woodward Ave Presbyterian church, which was built in 1911 and now is an abandoned building in Detroit, Michigan. I like how symmetrical the composition of the objects are, for example the hanging gas lamps and seating, as well as the low, wide angle of the photograph, because it gives the building in the photograph a strange and eerie sense of order, despite its decaying state.
This photograph shows thousands of cracked plates from a derelict ceramics factory in New Castle, Pennsylvania. I have noticed that there is a lot of repetition of objects in Davis’ photographs for example books, plates and lamps, which highlights the vast scale of neglect these places have experienced. The low angle makes the mound of ceramic plates look greater, emphasizing the amount of waste.