What does a bankrupt city look like? Haunting, tragic and strangely beautiful, according to Philip Jarmain's incredible images of Detroit - the once burgeoning, now desolate Michigan capital.
The Canadian photographer's brilliant series 'American beauty' captures the rapid destruction of Detroit's early twentieth-century architecture.
He depicts abandoned and forgotten spaces of a bygone era defined by ingenuity and innovation. But, inside and out, these monumental public buildings now stand tired and worn, some barely recognizable as their former selves.
Many of the structures, whether theaters, hotels or even police stations and public schools, are being torn down as the city continues its demise. But Jarmain managed to capture the impressive works in their final state before their architects' masterpieces are lost forever.
'These are the last large format architectural photographs for many of these structures,'Jarmain explains.
They are part of American Beauty: The Opulent Pre-Depression Architecture of Detroit at San Francisco's Meridian Gallery at 535 Powell street. The exhibit runs till October 20 and is curated by Sheeka Arbuthnot.