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On the DL

Relic


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Published: Jun 25, 2008

Opening reception Thu., June 26, 5:30-7:30 p.m., exhibit runs through July 18, Center for Emerging Visual Artists, 237 S. 18th St., Suite 3A, 215-546-7775, cfeva.org

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It seems as if abandoned buildings hold a certain power over photographers, endlessly beckoning to them. Perhaps it's the extraordinary textures that 50-year-old peeling paint, dormant radiators and rusty pipes exhibit when seen in black and white, or perhaps it's the archaeological and architectural record they provide. Either way, these buildings serve as an endless source of inspiration, and in Philadelphia there's no shortage of them on their way to a pile of rubble or grand renovation.

Beginning in 2005 with a three-month documentation of the demolition of the Civic Center Auditorium in University City, photographer Michael Froio developed "Relic," a portfolio of Philadelphia buildings in transition, for better or for worse. Presented at the Center for Emerging Visual Artists, "Relic" surveys four sites: the Civic Center, the Philadelphia Board of Education Building, the Divine Lorraine Hotel and Memorial Hall.

The large-format prints capture the size and scope of the buildings, providing a haunting image of the structures in their semi-current state. For instance, paint curls like waves in one image of the Civic Center, while in an image of Memorial Hall, a matrix of support scaffolding hints at the building's new lease on life as the future home of the Please Touch Museum. Froio treats these buildings with a reverence that transforms them into hallowed spaces, if only for a brief moment in time.