A late afternoon Detroit skyline is framed through the large west facing windows near the high point of the Packard Plant. Block shaped spots of sunlight slowly begin to morph into narrow diamonds as the sun falls towards the horizon. Viewing downtown Detroit from certain places in the Packard during the late summer can muster a surreal image of the city. The height and density of the fully grown trees in the neighborhoods directly west of the plant can give the appearance that downtown has erupted from an otherwise virgin forest, and by some standards it has. Michigan, when it was first settled, provided a home to some of the largest trees in the United States. However, in the mid 1800's, such forests were not only considered a barrier to development but also as a gold mine of lumber for ships, buildings and mines. As a result most of the state's natural forests were depleted. This, and many other views from the Packard Plant show quite the opposite: fading industry bearing witness to re-forestation as nature and machine try to reach a new equilibrium with one another.

   

Author

Nicolas Boileau

Albums

• Skylines - Detroit
• Packard Plant - Detroit