Atlantic Steel Redevelopment Project (1999 - 2006)

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I am fascinated by the utopian vision of architects and urban designers, particularly what happens when those visions become reality. My interest in invented realities arose from a childhood surrounded by tourist attractions in central Florida . Since 1999, I have conducted long term project photographing the radical transformation of Atlanta 's last large scale industrial site. Now called Atlantic Station, it is a new urban commercial and residential development in the heart of midtown. At 138 acres, with a budget exceeding two billion dollars, it is the largest urban redevelopment in the U.S.

Although a federal survey concluded that Atlantic Steel Industries had historic status, none of its buildings were incorporated into the new design. In the spirit of preservation, I photographed the mill buildings in the winter of 1999 before they were demolished, creating a document of the industrial age in Atlanta . When I learned it was destined to become a complete city within a city, I decided to continue photographing while the history and identity of the landscape underwent its dramatic transformation. I recorded the demolition, the environmental engineering and each stage of construction. The last photographs show the new architecture of Atlantic Station as a fully designed space, yet unmarked by human activity. By recording this change, the history of the site will not only be seen in before and afterk pictures. The stages in between, which speak in broader terms about nature and technology, will always be part of the city's memory.