Thursday, August 20, 2009

Brooklyn in Transition



I was on my way to meet friends at Tom's in Prospect Heights yesterday, when, due to the staggering heat, I decided to take a moment's respite inside the Brooklyn Public Library just off Grand Army Plaza. I'm so glad I did, initially for the giant hurricane-strength fan in the Grand Lobby, but mainly because it led me to Jose Gaytan's amazing photographic essay on the Gowanus canal area, industrial wasteland turned up-and-coming neighborhood. His work finds the beauty in otherwise destructed landscapes. I also found much, much more stunning work on his website.

There is also a New York Times article on the show here.

These photos make me appreciate the Gowanus as it is now - as the area is cleaned up and gentrified, will it lose its magic?

All images © Jose Gaytan


1 comment:

  1. Who is Gowanus and why is there a canal named after him? Guess I could read the article you reference........

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