While visiting home I was on the lookout for an art and design journal in the local newsagents seeing as I didn't have access to the university library. Thats when I came across Aesthetica - a British art and culture magazine that covers art, design, photography, film, music and more.
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| Front Cover of Aesthetica, Issue 65 |
While reading through Aesthetica's 65th issue I came across an interesting article called Existence Abandoned by the American photographer Lori Nix. In Nix's series The City, she has photographed dilapidated libraries, abandoned bars and deserted shops in great detail. But these buildings have never actually been visited by Nix, instead they have been crafted by her. From her apartment in New York she has carefully fabricated these locations to be photographed with great thought of lighting, scale and space to make these stunning photographs.
At first glance I thought these photographs were of real places which shows how well they are made. I particularly like the attention to detail in the background of each photo making sure that there are things in the distance (other than the walls of her apartment) to give it all perspective. The added building facades in the distance make the scenes so much more believable. I also love how she has managed to capture the juxtaposition of human existence and death with the remnants of human activity and the apocalyptic feel of the destroyed buildings. The places feel like they have a history, a past, yet they are quiet, devoid of any enterprise which makes them beautiful. What do you think? If you want to see the full portfolio click
here and it will take you to her website.
