Shortly after the Detroit riots, a large population of people left the city to escape violence and build communities on the outskirts of the city. These rapidly growing neighborhoods often occupied small towns or rural areas that offered no viable commercial or residential real estate for the growing numbers of people to move into. Obscura LJasonand, a quarterly photo book that dedicates each issue to a different theme, has dedicated its first volume to Detroit, from the people to the changing city landscapes. To make Volume 1 of the series, Obsura Land curated work from photographers who had a distinct style and voice, and a connection to the city. They approached Detroit photographer, Jason Keen, whose minimalistic aesthetic and unique content meshed well with the look the creators of Obscura Land were going for. Jason shared with them his photographs of Detroit architecture that provided a counterpoint to traditional representations of the city, namely the “ruin porn” that is so often associated with riots and reconstruction. We asked Jason about his experience photographing the architecture of suburban Detroit that Obscura Land sought out.
Let’s get started. How did you get involved with Obscura Land?
I was contacted by one of the curators of the project, Noah Waldeck. He was particularly interested in my suburban architecture photography. The work I have in Obscura Land is from a series of images that was shot exclusively in the suburbs of Detroit. In response to the rapid influx of people, developers had to quickly fabricate buildings and communities. I focused on creating formal images in the style of this bland, characterless architecture.
The presentation of Obscura Land is much belabored and the package is meant to serve as an art object that you would display in your home.
What your goal with this photo series?
My goal was to show how vapid these structures are, and to challenge viewers to look more closely at the conditions of suburban living and see what is lost culturally and aesthetically when you abandon a city with a rich history and identity for the security of the suburban environment. I accomplished this by capturing the images at night when the suburbs are bathed in various forms of artificial light and pollution from the city itself. This visually captured feelings focused on the perception of artificiality.
How does this project fit your photographic style?
The project itself stems from a curiosity I have in the relationship between suburbs and city proper, and how when taken out of context, a suburb is eerily characterless. It could be Anywhere, America. This series encompasses many different interests of mine: vernacular photography, quotidian, everyday existence, and architecture. Architectural photography is a great way to approach these spaces because it results in a more anthropological and objective-looking photograph.
It helps to see a broader view of the function of any constructed space, and its relationship with people and environment. If you don’t approach it from that angle, it’s just photographing a product or commodity, when there is so much more to explore beyond that.
Were there any challenges involved with this project? If so, how did you overcome them?
There was the obvious challenge of trying to take subject matter that some might argue is inherently boring, and making it interesting visually. Another aspect was the investment of time and planning. Suburban Detroit is huge, and you can spend hours driving through weird developments and strip malls looking for something that feels right from a visual perspective. I’d use mapping apps for my iPhone that would record via GPS the route I took on any given night of scouting. I could then overlay these maps together and see where I hadn’t been already. It can be a bit lonely and isolating, but it’s also a great time to catch up on podcasts!
Why do you create personal work as a photographer? Why do you believe it’s important?
I think it’s important to take a moment and reflect on why you picked up a camera in the first place. I enjoy the unique challenges of both commercial and personal work and find them both fulfilling. Photographers should find commercial work that has a kinship to your personal work. Your personal work becomes a compass in a way, directing your style to compatible commercial projects.
What has the reaction to the images been so far?
Positive. It has landed me some great architectural photography jobs. Architects like to see that photographers are capable of abstract thinking and understanding architecture and physical space in that way.
To see more photography from Jason, visit jasonkeen.com.