Communication Arts | Winner 2013 Photo Annual /September 18, 2013 by Philip Jarmain

American Beauty - Best series - Work for Sale

Philip Jarmain’s Lee Plaza Ballroom sells at Arts Umbrella Splash Live Auction for $13,000.

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Wired | Can Detroit’s Architectural Past Inspire It to Claw Back to Greatness? | Jakob Schiller

about 11 years ago

It often happens that news events create a new context for existing photo projects, and such is the case with Philip Jarmain’s photos of Detroit in light of the city’s recent filing for bankruptcy. Jarmain’s series American Beautydocuments architecture from a pre-Depression era Detroit — a time when the city was on the rise. They now stand in contrast to its current rock-bottom economic straits.

Dozens, if not hundreds, of photographers have flocked to Detroit during the city’s long slide, documenting its demise and creating an entire category of “ruin porn.” But Jarmain sees his work as optimistic and uplifting. Whether his photos stand as a goodbye to a glory forever passed or an inspiration for what the city could be again, is a matter of perspective.