Detroit, Michigan USA, has been stereotyped as the number one place in the USA for ‘ruin porn’ – suburban and commercial deterioration and abandonment goldmine for amateur and professional photographers, film makers and tourists. New Orleans unfortunately became listed on the ruin porn list due to complications of Hurricane Katrina, and most parts of Russia have its followers (catalogued by English Russia). Most, if not all, of the photography is beautiful and depressing at the same time.
Detroit receives much publicity, but sadly most of it has been quite negative. Bowling For Columbine doco creator Michael Moore‘s first film was “‘Roger & Me“, based on motor company General Motors supplying Detroit with most of the work for residents, only to pull up stumps and move their factory overseas. Moore’s film showed how with a single move from a CEO, destroyed the area, and his hometown.
Palladium Boots has commissioned an online documentary in 3 parts, showing not the negative, but the highly positive aspects and views of Detroit. Most of the time, media covers the run down areas (yes, I realise the irony of using the derelict train station to promote this post, but it looks so pretty!), but if they moved their cameras to the right by about 50 metres, you’d see a state-of-the-art building that’ll put your house to shame. A bonus to this documentary is that it’s presented by Jackass Johnny Knoxville, who demonstrates he has more brains than… umm… just more brain smarts.
View the other 2 parts plus the official site here.
