Some people come to Detroit to photograph sports and people and ruin porn.
Boston photographer Karen Jerzyk recently came here to photograph nude models in abandoned churches.
Jerzyk says her works from Detroit will be displayed in Boston at an art show featuring a number of artists at the Estate on 1 Boylston Place on July 30. The show is being sponsored by an organization appropriately called RAW.
In an email exchange, Jerzyk said:
My main area of focus is figure work in abandoned buildings. I've wanted to visit Detroit for years now, mostly because of the architecture of the abandoned buildings. I brought a model with me (Rayne Tupelo) and met up with another (Ellie Lane, who has the frizzy black hair)- I felt that emotion would be more conceivable in the photos if I were to shoot a person in the scene. Visiting Detroit was not how I imagined it would be- I feel like the rest of the country unjustly demonizes it. Never in my life would I fathom meeting people on the streets and having a great time.
Not everyone will find her message very soothing.
Accompanying her photos, is this passage on her website:
All gods who receive homage are cruel. All gods dispense suffering without reason. Otherwise they would not be worshipped. Through indiscriminate suffering men know fear and fear is the most divine emotion. It is the stones for altars and the beginning of wisdom. Half gods are worshipped in wine and flowers. Real gods require blood.
She realizes she's not the first to use the backdrop of ruin porn for her works. She says in her email to Deadline Detroit:
"I know there an influx of photographers that go to Detroit for a few days simply to just take photos. We ran into people from Canada while we were there, and I know of dozens of photographers who have traveled there in the past few years- I actually met up with a friend from Wisconsin (used to live in Detroit) this weekend. Detroit is the Mecca for people who like to photograph abandoned buildings- apps like Instagram are LOADED with photos of Detroit. I think it's kind of cool and ironic that something like that is actually promoting tourism in the city."
She says she took photographs in the following abandoned churches:
- St Agnes Cathedral
- Woods Cathedral
- St Rita Cathedral
- St Curvy Cathedral
- Lee Plaza
- St Margaret Mary Church
- St Margaret Mary School
- St. Calvary
