Inventory : Detroit

Inventory is an art project where we dig the ephemeral characteristics of the public space and street furniture. Public space collects culture constantly as the surfaces are painted with tags, graffiti and covered with stickers. Conditions change with weather, impacts and maintenance. Interference create uniqueness, but unlike cultural objects under protection in museums or galleries, street furniture is in constant danger of renovation or replacement. We document and preserve objects in digital 3D format to create an inventory and reveal it in the shape of virtual installations reflecting the vibes of cities.

We have travelled all around the states (more than 14000 miles), been to many cities, none have struck as Detroit did. The collapse, the boom-and-bust was everywhere in the city. We stayed in Detroit extensively, driving around neighborhoods specifically looking for derelict buildings and capturing them, they were not hard to find (more than 15000 reported). The feeling is intense when you are standing in front of a house that was once a home to a family. You get the shivers every time you travel through Packard Plant…

Detroit is a petroleum nightmare, it is the one we will face in couple decades all around the world. This is what happens when society grows without limits and collapses under its own belly.