Snow transforms abandoned mall into ghostly winter wonderland
One of a series of recent images captured by photographer and activist Seph Lawless inside an abandoned mall in Akron, OH. (Published with the artist's permission)
Wednesday, February 11, 2015, 5:48 PM - Photographer and activist Seph Lawless is known for his work depicting crumbling infrastructure in post-recession America, but a fresh blanket of snow adds extra poignancy to his latest series of images.
Lawless, who works under a pseudonym, uses photography as a means to explore the often devastating effects of globalization on local communities. He has published two books on the subject, Autopsy of America and last year’s Black Friday, a project depicting abandoned malls.
He recently returned to one of the malls, Rolling Acres in Akron, OH, only to find that the broken skylights and collapsed sections of roof had let in snow, transforming the busy shopping center he remembered from his youth into a ghostly winter wonderland.
“It was … as if the world had ended,” Lawless said in an email. “I realized I was inside a giant make-believe snow globe.”
"Malls are nostalgic for me," he told Fast Company. "Before social media and smartphones people went to the mall to talk to people. You just didn't shop at these malls. It was a communal space."
Here is a look at Rolling Acres before the snow:
And here are more of Lawless' recent images:
For more Seph Lawless, check him out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
