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Saturday 13 July 2013

A Feeling of Emptiness


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Atria, Belz Factory Outlet Mall, Allen, Texas; closed 1987, demolished 20 May 2010: photo by Justin Cozart, 28 March 2009


The experience of our generation: that capitalism will not die a natural death.

Walter Benjamin: The Arcades Project

For sale the bodies, the voices, the tremendous unquestionable wealth, what will never be sold.

Arthur Rimbaud: Illuminations



Where?  Inside abandoned Belz Factory Outlet Mall, Allen, Texas; closed 1987, demolished 20 May 2010: photo by Justin Cozart, 28 March 2009


Free Toy.  Belz Factory Outlet Mall, Allen, Texas; closed 1987, demolished 20 May 2010: photo by Justin Cozart, 28 March 2009


Lad[ie]s Fashions.  Belz Factory Outlet Mall, Allen, Texas; closed 1987, demolished 20 May 2010: photo by Justin Cozart, 28 March 2009


Famous Shapes.  Belz Factory Outlet Mall, Allen, Texas; closed 1987, demolished 20 May 2010: photo by Justin Cozart, 28 March 2009


Smoky.  Inside abandoned Belz Factory Outlet Mall, Allen, Texas; closed 1987, demolished 20 May 2010: photo by Justin Cozart, 28 March 2009


Asbestos.  Inside abandoned Belz Factory Outlet Mall, Allen, Texas; closed 1987, demolished 20 May 2010: photo by Justin Cozart, 28 March 2009



Hunky.  Inside abandoned Belz Factory Outlet Mall, Allen, Texas; closed 1987, demolished 20 May 2010
: photo by Justin Cozart, 28 March 2009





Nutrition Position.  Inside abandoned Belz Factory Outlet Mall, Allen, Texas; closed 1987, demolished 20 May 2010: photo by Justin Cozart, 28 March 2009


Free Art. Inside abandoned Belz Factory Outlet Mall, Allen, Texas; closed 1987, demolished 20 May 2010: photo by Justin Cozart, 28 March 2009

7 comments:

STEPHEN RATCLIFFE said...

Tom,

"Free Cookies –>"

"TOYS & GIFTS"

"LAD S FASHIONS"

"AIR DUCT SMOKE DETECTOR"

7.13

light coming into fog against invisible
top of ridge, green of leaves on branch
in foreground, sound of wave in channel

observer who is compared to
this that, everywhere

also then, following chosen
in place, in which is

grey white of fog against top of ridge,
line of pelicans flapping toward point

Mose23 said...

Unquestionable wealth: those dead eyes a good way to the back of all these broken up stage sets.

Hazen said...

A culture based on the buying and selling of “things”?
Really?

Everything? Large and small? Tangible and intangible?
Really?

Where?! What planet?!


. . . oh



Production consumption waste

Repeat

Again

Again

World without end

End without world

Dalriada said...

The shot with the dog made me think of Tarkovsky's film 'Stalker'.

Nice to see what it is so graphically laid bare All that buzz over nothing Empty indeed

vazambam (Vassilis Zambaras) said...

You got it--QUALITY BRANDS FOR LESS, ART FOR LESS. What precious capital ideas for the masses to amass!

Dalriada said...

And yet our only hope is with the mass . . . which is indeed a stampede of lemmings towards a cliff edge

TC said...

Really like the top two photos, here. And Art for Less -- surely a familiar ring to that.

Had the same double take as Colin, re. Stalker, and that black dog.

Remembering the film, the image that always returns is that black dog, that puddle, over...
and over.

Of course it's not the black dog's fault it's come to bear the weight of so many ominous symbolic associations, from Kerberos on down.

I've been batting (virtually) through the cobwebs and shards in these abandoned malls for a while now, they're like cultural death barges.

Large unfriendly wild dogs seem to be a common feature of ghost malls. Before the place was finally demolished two years ago, the upper floor of the legendary Dixie Square Mall, south of Chicago, was said to be home to a trio of fierce and menacing wild dogs. They gave more than one visiting photographer pause.

The fourth photo here is straight out of Stalker:

A Collapsing Sign