Who is Peter Bialobrzeski?

Peter Bialobrzeski is a German photographer, who’s work has dipped into street and urban photography. A topic I am intending on featuring in my mock exam and essay. His city photos are what mainly peak my interest.

Career

His city photos, in contrast to Luxemburg, are mostly captured during daylight hours instead of night time. His photos feature lots of run down, demolished and abandoned buildings.

Visual

Each of these photos have buildings which have been abandoned and left to decay over time, which looks to be a very long time given the lack of care seen on the buildings. Also due to the fact that newer buildings in the backgrounds of some can be seen, which implies that these abandoned ones have been neglected and ignored. The destruction and crumbling to the buildings walls, ceilings and floors creates many rigid and fluctuated lines, perhaps to show they are not perfect. Being in the day, the images are of course very bright, some of the abandoned buildings however appear to be in slightly darker areas, possibly being overshadowed by the newer and taller buildings. The buildings due to lack of care are all cracked and chipped all over, creating a sort of rough texture. I like how in a handful of photos there is machinery but blurry, obviously because the low shutter speed that was likely used captured the constant movement of the machines, which contrasts with the stillness of the buildings, being inanimate. There is a certain amount of spacing between the newer buildings and the ruined ones, almost to imply that the newer buildings are better and higher up so shouldn’t be anywhere near the old ones.

Conceptual

The idea and meaning behind these images doesn’t seem very clear, if there even is one. The first thing I’d think of is to show the difference between the old and the past and the new and the future, and that the past will always be overrun and sometimes forgotten. The images could have something to do with “Topographical” imagery given the almost deadpan look and the fact the main subjects are dissociated and abandoned things.

Response

Jersey is home to many abandoned buildings, which are often very close to still occupied buildings. I could take advantage of this by going out and positioning my camera to have the abandoned one and still used ones in the framing. In town, it can also provide good landscape backgrounds. I do want to try having the shutter speed set to low and have things within the frame moving while the buildings stay perectly still.