Squidge Magazine: Tell us a little about the ’100 Abandoned Houses’ project, how did it all get started?

Kevin Bauman: I had really started shooting the decay of Detroit back around 1995 as a creative outlet after a stressful first job out of college that required no creativity what so ever. Initially I photographed anything and everything. I used a lot of black and white and would process the film, and make the prints in the local community college darkroom.

Eventually I started to see several series begin to emerge. Certain subjects such as industrial buildings, abandoned houses, and small churches were very common themes in my piles of contact sheets. The abandoned houses, in particular, were very representative of the state of the area. Abandoned houses had, for years, been a problem for the city, with arsonists lighting them on fire frequently, students being abducted near them on the way to school, and drugs being dealt out of them. At one point the estimates were that Detroit had over 12,000 abandoned houses. After a few years I had a small catalog of abandoned house images, and figured I should decide how many the series would contain. 100 seemed like a good number. I have, though, gone well over 100.

SM: The series portrays a ‘forgotten’ part of Detroit. Is it important to you that these images are displayed and archived?

KB: I think so. At least to me. It’s the Detroit I grew up with. The houses will continue to be abandoned, and burned, and demolished. Near the city center, new “loft developments” are replacing old mansions. Meanwhile further out, whole areas of the city are being cleared, with fields taking the place of neighborhoods. Detroit’s been in decline since the 1940′s, but it’s current decline is arguably it’s worst. It almost seems like the end of the city as we all knew it. And while somewhat sad, it’s also an incredibly interesting transition that is, at this point unavoidable. What Detroit will look like when it finally bottoms out is hard to say. But it will most likely never be the same.

SM: Do you feel your photography is influencing social change? Is this something you set out to do, or did this come with the progression of the project?

KB: I had no agenda when I first started the photographing in Detroit. I simply wanted a creative outlet, and was fascinated by the decay of the city. I don’t have any expectations about what photography can do for the city, or it’s citizen’s. If it gets people thinking about what can be done, or how change can be achieved, I’d certainly be happy.

SM: Considering the ’100 Abandoned Houses’ project and the current economic ‘crisis’, have you noticed an increase of abandoned buildings and poverty in Detroit?

KB: There has definitely been an increase in abandonment. Unemployment in the city is 22%, and by some estimates almost 1/3 of the city is already abandoned. With the decline in American manufacturing, and in particular, the Big Three, Detroit is not likely to get much better any time soon. Detroit’s only hope is to change expectations. A big company is not going to come into the city and hire the unemployed workers. The days of spending one’s life working for one large company, and retiring with good benefits are gone. Detroit will have to remake itself into something new.

SM: What steps do you feel the authorities have taken on this issue, and is it enough?

KB: Detroit’s political leadership has been truly dysfunctional for a long, long time. Corruption, apathy, mistrust, and mismanagement have all plagued the city for decades. Any steps that have been taken by any city or regional authority has not been enough. At this point, I doubt anything can be done to stop the decline. Detroit will have to bottom before it can be rebuilt into something new.

SM: How did you first get into photography?

KB: Throughout high school and college I had been into ceramics. After graduation I had no creative outlets, and eventually after a year at a very stressful new job, I decided it was time to find a new creative hobby. I just decided that photography would be fun, and simple. No need for clay mixers, kilns, or anything else. Just me and a camera. Or so I thought. I really had no idea at the time.

SM: Do you have any major inspirations? Have any photographers influenced your style of photography?

KB: I have plenty of inspiration, including architecture, design, art and music. I am really into clean and simple architecture, design and photography. Some favorite photographers would be Edward Burtynsky, Michael Kenna, Bernd and Hill Becher, Robert Polidori, and too many others to list. Of course after starting on this series, it was pointed out that it was very much in the vein of the New Topographics, and I have since become a fan of photographers such as Stephen Shore, Robert Adams, Frank Gohlke, and others.

SM: So what’s next for you? Any exciting projects on the horizon you would like to share with us?

KB: I think Detroit’s story is not done, so I’ll continue to document the city for a long time to come. I’ve got a series on Detroit’s small churches. The number of small churches in Detroit has always fascinated me. They are often in structures not traditionally used for places of worship, such as gas stations, store fronts, or banks. And they have very intriguing names such as “The Souls for Christ Deliverance Center” or “The Ascending Church of the Cosmic Christ.” The buildings themselves, and the role of religion in a place like Detroit is very interesting to me.

Also the continuing decline of manufacturing, urban farming, and the, hopefully, new role of artists in the city are all themes I am either interested in, or have already started on.

Many thanks to Kevin Bauman for the interview, and we look forward to seeing his future projects. You can see more of the series ’100 Abandoned House’ by clicking here, or visit his portfolio here.