Psychedelic Interors Of Detroit: P1
Designed by Minoru Yamasaki to act as the "gateway to the university" the McGregor Memorial Conference Center appears to act as a gateway to much, much more. Wayne State Campus, Detroit.
The more I explored Detroit, the more I loved its architecture, and especially its interiors. From art-deco tiles to mid century angles, scenes far deeper than the surface started to unfold. Vaulted ceilings and towering atriums gave way to striking visual ascension. What started as a series to find and frame psychedelic patterns soon became a search to showcase spaces that were instead portals. For the first installment of this series I chose to only highlight newer or celebrated structures, focusing on the varying architectural design that has created immersive and psychedelic scenes.
Cubes ascend in the Cobo. Cobo Center, Detroit.
I wanted to build a series of images that shed light on our perspective of space. We've all looked up, but have we really looked OUT? There are scenes all around us every day that defy this realm and when I started scouring and shooting choice interiors, the findings were more apparent than ever. Cubes, triangles, reflected light, intense vanishing points, all elements that architects have married together to create undeniably psychedelic symphonies hidden in designs that have surrounded us for decades.
The Chrysler House. Downtown, Detroit.
Ceremonial ambiance found in a side lobby of the art-deco Fisher building. New Center, Detroit.
Built in 1928, the arrangement of pewabic tile suggests the craftsmen were of a different, and perhaps more cosmic, time and place. The Guardian Building, Downtown Detroit.
A defining characteristic of these spaces was that while they harbored physical walls, ceilings, and barriers, the reality of a world beyond that was was very visible. I wanted to emphasize the borders and blockades, while highlighting their dual functions as gateways. It became a challenge to use lines and light to emphasize these exit portals and give visual life to these not-so distant realms occupied by the unknown and awash with infinite possibilities. These images show that where there's restriction, greater expansion is still possible.
Top floor views to the outer level. David Whitney Building, Downtown Detroit
The Guardian Building, Downtown Detroit.
Intricate doesn't even scratch the surface in describing the vaulted lobby of The Fisher Building. New Center, Detroit.
Don't fear the white light. David Whitney Building, Downtown Detroit.