Things That Are Not There

I bought a scanner a couple of years ago for a reason that has since escaped me. I've used it here and there, but by and large, it sits here on my desk, gathering dust and taking up space. As such, I thought I might as well start making it earn its keep. As I mentioned in this post a little while back, I used to dabble in amateur photography. There were fewer things I enjoyed more than simply wandering around New York and taking pictures. Like I said in that earlier post, my opportunities to do that have since sorta dried up, but I still love the shots I took back then. I started thumbing through them recently, and was struck by how different so many the places I captured look now. I figured I might as well pull those pictures out and put them up here. This idea was also inspired by the recent Joy Division documentary (which I highly recommend). Throughout the documentary, filmmaker Grant Gee collects contemporary images of pivotal locales in Manchester, England from the legendary band's history, like decrepit rehearsal spaces that are now fast food outlets or live music venues that are now condominiums. These images were prefaced under the title, "Things That Are Not There," which I thought was strangely chilling. So, herewith my own version of things that are not there. In many instances, the places themselves are still there, but they look drastically different now than they did then.

These shots were all taken between 1987 and 2002, approximately. E-mail me if you have any questions.

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