The Art of Ugly

I went out with my friend John to take pictures of some industrial areas in downtown Baltimore. On our way, we were both commenting on how much development has been taking place in the city. Much of it is great, including a lot of new buildings for the Johns Hopkins Medical Campus. However, there are certain areas where new condos are being built over Baltimore's old industrial areas. In some respects, it may seem nice to have a bunch of new, luxurious condos trimming the southeast side of town. On the other hand, nothing beats a nice, large, messy, beaten down industrial landscape. I realize this is all subject to personal opinion, but in some respects these industrial graveyards are like large still-lifes of Baltimore's port town past. The few remaining areas we drove through were garnished with grafitti, trash, piles of drywall, coal, tar, silt, broken down machines and wilted buildings. After visiting these areas, I've realized how bored I've become with the polished, sterile environments I'm used to being around. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the luxury of a nice, bright bookstore or clean, designer restaurant, but they're often missing the character and the stories that these artfully ugly sites tell. I'll let the photos give you the rest of the description.