I just finished up a project in Detroit and am beginning to edit the images. The idea was to explore how people are making ends meet and even surviving by scavenging scrap metal from abandoned buildings and factories.
One of the most famous abandoned factories in Detroit is the Packard Plant, a 3,500,000 square foot compound now decaying and and slowly crumbling. It was once the most modern automobile plant in the world and is now home to graffiti artists, drug addicts, homeless and metal scavengers.
I was most interested in the metal scavengers because they are surviving by what basically boils down to recycling an entire factory. I will talk more about it as I present this story piece by piece over the coming weeks :)
Special thanks to Packard historian Allen Hill for his help with this project!
An exterior shot of the Packard Automotive Plant, now being taken back by nature.