UPDATE

"In Lieu of Flowers" at the New Jersey School of Architecture

I created this piece after searching through over 1,000 obituaries of former employees of the Westinghouse Plant in Newark. After photographing the abandoned factory, I wondered about the people that worked there. I discovered many fought in World War II. Others were inventors or artists or coaches. These memories as fragile as the memory of the building, which was demolished this past summer. You can read some of them here.

The piece installed at the New Jersey School of Architecture's gallery in Newark as part of "The Westinghouse Project," a show of artwork inspired by the building. More information at The Westinghouse Project. Zemin Zhang wrote about the exhibit and my piece at The Daily Newarker.

"I love that it's a ruin because I love ruins.
Everybody does I think.
They just don't love them enough to leave them."

Conversation with Philip Johnson, May 14, 1999
Architect, N.Y. State Pavilion, 1964/65 N.Y. World's Fair

I photograph modern ruins because I find it disturbing to find familiar objects and technology to be abandoned. I'm reminded that nothing is permanent, that everything is always in a state of transition. And we see ourselves in our own transitions, sometimes too focused on where we're going to notice and appreciate where we are.

I created this homepage so I could gather people's stories and recollections about these modern ruins when they were alive as well as to help me better understand why people are fascinated them. I've included them throughout the site. If after visiting you have something to say, please send me e-mail or sign my guestbook.

Phil Buehler