The Presence of Absence: Detroit's haunting architectural relics

"There's faded grandeur. And then there's Detroit. Once the fourth-largest city in the US, its spectacular economic and social decline is writ large in the disintegration of its architectural fabric. With its former manufacturing industries decimated and parts of downtown Detroit becoming a depopulated wasteland, leading American photographer Sean Hemmerle has created 'Rust Belt' a series of compelling images – at times poetic, at others unnerving – of the city's former urban glory, both industrial and residential. His striking work serves as both architectural record and effective social commentary."