“Unbroken Down” in Detroit

[Dave] Jordano understands why “Ruin Porn” — the term given to the recent trend in photography that fetishizes decay — exists. He
himself made photographs of dilapidated buildings initially. It took a week before he realized he wasn’t adding anything new to photography’s vocabulary.

“You can’t help but be drawn to ruins. Everyone has gone to Detroit for that reason,” says Jordano. “But images of ruins are so pictorial and picturesque, you can almost overlook the tragedy of it all.”

Wired has more from Detroit-born photographer Jordano, plus a slideshow of his not-always-upbeat, but more often human subjects, including “dog-walkers, squatters, collapsed revelers, resting firemen and lonesome drinkers.” (Here’s one of those other photo projects he’s talking about.) You can see Dave’s work at the Detroit Institue of Art through June.