PHOTO:Dave Jordano

Continuing the tradition of the great American photographers, Dave Jordano, a Detroit native with life-long family ties there, thinks the recent media depiction of his hometown has been a tale of two cities. As he says “My work is really not about what has been destroyed, but more importantly about those who have been left behind and how they’re coping with a post-industrial city”.

By Dimitris Lempesis

In the series “Detroit-Unbroken Down”, Dave Jordano returns to his hometown to focus his lens on its people. His photographs are set against a backdrop of mass abandonment caused by decades of “White flight”, unemployment hovering at almost three times the national average, city services cut to the bone, a massive real estate collapse and the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. These images show individuals enduring the hardships of life in a struggling post-industrial city. By offering up portraits of human survival and perseverance instead of ruin and decay, Jordano reveals the dignity and humanity of Detroit’s urban landscape. Shot over the past five years, the series depicts the city’s long-time residents-in all their resilience and determination, often with an unflinching eye on the backdrop of their rough environs. He finds his photo subjects, often serendipitously, while driving around town. “Canvassing the neighborhoods, I’ll see something interesting and get out of the car. It’s engagement-not being afraid to start a conversation with a total stranger”. Recently, Jordano has started photographing empty landscapes within Detroit’s city limits. for this series he won the Aimia | AGO Photography Prize 2015.