Galleries / 2012 in Review /

Tangled Dreams

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A tangled mess of a basketball hoop, haunted by the silhouettes of the nearby Brewster Projects, acknowledges its final days, perhaps recollecting the countless childhood dreams it once sustained, on a cold and foggy November night in Detroit Michigan. Just two days prior to capturing this image Dave Bing, the current mayor of Detroit, announced that the long vacated projects were to be torn down to make room for possible development. Generally, the idea of demolishing structures without a foretold plan of what to do with the newly created space draws harsh criticism from historical preservationists. However, Bing’s announcement was met with only the most meager of token resistance. It’s not that the Brewster projects don’t have their share of history; many famous Motown singers, most notably Diana Ross, spent their childhoods playing on such basketball courts. But, nostalgia aside, the projects are unanimously considered an eyesore. With no architectural features to speak of, and a history of perpetuating class related tensions within Detroit by means of economic and racial segregation, their demolition is anticipated by many. Residing on a corner near a long turn on the I-75 expressway, the four bland, overgrown, and windowless fourteen story giants can sometimes be the only impression outsiders garner of Detroit. Few tears will be shed in their absence.

Author
Nicolas Boileau