Photographer Phillip Jarmain has created a photo essay documenting the past glory of this iconic America city (click on “Art” then “Detroit”).
(c) Phillip Jarmain
In an interview with Wired Magazine, he says:
What I’m trying to do is document these buildings carefully and with craft,” Jarmain says. “The buildings are part of a history filled with ingenuity, innovation and entrepreneurship. They’re part of a record that is about brilliant minds coming together to create the capitalist frontier and the middle class of America.
We could spend hours debating all the reasons why such a dynamic and important city is now facing bankruptcy, but like Mr. Jarmain I think it’s better to celebrate the things that made Detroit great.
After viewing these photos, I really feel that the seeds of her revival are lying dormant, just waiting to sprout.
I sincerely HOPE that you are right in your opinion about the ‘seeds of her revival’. I think that one of the things these pictures reveal is the sad fact that it is not the exterior trappings that make a people or a city great, it is the core. At it’s Core, I believe Detroit has moved away from the ‘we can do it’ mindset into the ‘someone else will do it for me’ and ‘I deserve better’. Unless the internal heart/mindset changes, the buildings will continue to crumble.