flora borsi juxtaposes neglected detroit sites with its lively past inhabitants

flora borsi juxtaposes neglected detroit sites with its lively past inhabitants
all images courtesy of flora borsi

it’s no secret that in recent decades, the great american city of detroit has gone through a major economic and demographic decline. in addition to a drastically reduced population, the once-booming automobile industry has suffered from tough global competition that has brought it to a near halt. saddened by the overwhelming number of neglected buildings she saw on a recent trip, hungarian artist flora borsi tried to envision the city, its streets and buildings as it might have looked in past decades. 

two well-dressed men stand inside an abandoned building

borsi found pictures from the previous century and combined them with photographs she personally took of abandoned churches, deserted streets and disused factories. the resulting compositions offer a strange juxtaposition between the lively scenes from the past, and the empty settings of today. ‘not so very long ago, detroit was a rich, beautiful city, full of vibrant people. what if these people from the past could see their beloved place now? could detroit rise again? I hope so’.

an image of factory workers making tire parts is superimposed onto the neglected site it now is

a group of young friends are surrounded by rubble and trash

a detroit man holds a sign that hints at hard times for the city

a deserted street corner is occupied by a couple from the past 

a photograph of a young man and his new car sits on a deserted street

children skate on ice in an abandoned parking lot