The industrial neighborhood of Gowanus, Brooklyn is currently in an accelerated state of transition. With the recently approved rezoning, countless buildings are being torn down to make way for new condo developments in the inevitable march of gentrification. Since 2019 I have been working on a project documenting the 29 or so Gowanus industrial buildings that have been highlighted for potential landmarking status by the Gowanus Landmarking Coalition, many of which have been or will be affected by the rezoning. 

Photographed on large format 5x7 dry plate glass negatives, the format is one that would have been used to photograph the buildings when they were first constructed, most of which were built between the 1880’s to 1930’s. The variable and organic nature of the hand poured emulsion helps capture the fragile nature of these buildings, many of which are in disrepair or states of transition. I'll have some examples of the glass plate negatives and camera equipment used to photograph the series on hand during my gallery sitting hours.

My hope is that this series will bring increased awareness to the precarious state many of these buildings face and hopefully help aid the efforts to landmark or otherwise preserve those that can be saved. For the buildings that will inevitably not survive (as some in the series have already been torn down), my goal is to preserve them through photography in a way that both honors their rich history while conveying the reality of their current day vulnerability.

Visit the upcoming solo show for this series at the Gowanus Dredgers Boathouse, May 7th-29th

Read more about the project and my process in this article in Brooklyn Paper.