Brian Ulrich: Dark Stores

Brian Ulrich's photography explores modern consumer culture and its effect on our surroundings; his Dark Stores project focuses on the increasing number of abandoned malls and retail spaces dotted across the US.

In an interview at The Morning News, Ulrich explains the questions which inform his work:

“How can an economy sustain a lifestyle based on exponential growth and the leisure and wealth to support it? It's not rocket science to expect these kind of illusions to fail. What's strange is how ingrained the brands and spaces are to us that so many were not only surprised to see major retailers and malls sink, but were saddened.”

The striking but desolate images in this project chart the lonely decay of buildings purpose built for retail, and mostly unsuitable for anything else. Later in the interview, Ulrich talks about the possible repurposing of these sites (some of which are vast), but states that ultimately he would like to see them return to nature.

For me this brings up an interesting thought: have we reached an “optimum population” of these giant stores and malls, and is it now regulating itself, just like populations do in the natural world?

Via Boing Boing