Franziska Klose : Detroit: Field Notes from a Wild City

An artist’s-book portrayal of contemporary Detroit, an overgrown and deindustrialized city on the perpetual brink of renaissance

This publication appraises the contemporary urban landscape of a deindustrialized city in the form of an artist’s book. In her photographs and texts, German photographer Franziska Klose (born 1977) represents the city of Detroit as an overlay of social and natural history, depicting a landscape absolutely consumed by industry. What was once celebrated as the “Motor City” is now described by the media using slogans such as “ruin porn” and “future city.” Snapshots of vacant land and overgrown lots highlight the structure of contemporary Detroit, which remains a manifestation of social inequality, despite all the conjurations of an imminent economic boom. The story of the “comeback” is set against land speculation and water shutoffs, contrasting with the emergence of a potential post-growth society based on urban agriculture and individual autonomy.