Of Dostoyevsky and Detroit

What has happened to Detroit?

Not the Lions, the city. (No one ever says, "What happened to Detroit?" in reference of the Lions because to ask the question "What happened" implies that there was, at one time, something there.)

Detroit, as it stands, is perhaps the largest ghost town in the Nation. Once the shining capitol of innovation in America, the collapse of the auto industry has left behind the derelict bones of factories, once humming with workers, now gathering dust in disrepair and decay. Those same workers who once stood on those assembly lines now line the streets (Unemployment rose to over 22% in 2009).

These are Dark Times for the Motor City. But out of the mire, some have found inspiration.

I'd like to bring the photography of Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre to your attention. The two are French photographers who have scoured the ruins of Detroit to produce the powerful images that you can view here. Haunting images, and there are hundreds more like this. Where there are abandoned factories, apartments, office buildings, and movie theaters left to waste, there are photographers and artists there to capture it. Archeologist, in their own way, studying the ruins of a thriving civilization, now long dead.

But there are some artists who would save Detroit, instead of capitalising on it's beleaguered state. Give this article a read, if you will.

Take abandoned houses and pepper them with vibrant colored polkadots. Vacant lot? Plant a community garden. Or, why not turn a dirty city street into an art gallery?

Artists, taking the initiative. Individuals, making a change. It doesn’t take a big system to fix a big problem, it just takes people with the desire to see change. After all, the “System” has failed this city time and time again. I salute these artists’ resolve to finally say, “enough is enough”. With their various projects, they’ve helped bring the City’s problems to light and promote ways to help turn the back the tide. They’ve even encouraged other artists to move into the city and do likewise.

It may not seem like much, but it's things like these that spark revolutions. It reminds me of the words written by the Russian author, Fyodor Dostoyevsky:


“Beauty will save the world”.


[L-O-V-E / it’s a mystery / where you’ll find me / where you’ll find / all is love, is love, is love]