garden of the gods

source: scotthocking

GARDEN OF THE GODS is an installation built on the collapsed roof of the Albert Kahn designed Packard automobile plant in Detroit. Only a handful of Kahn’s cast concrete columns remain standing among the rubble, leaving a site reminiscent of both the Roman Forum and Bernini’s Piazza San Pietro. Using the columns as pedestals, the twelve gods of the classical Greek Pantheon are replaced and represented by wooden television consoles found elsewhere in the building. Completed in December of 2009, the new pantheon of gods was documented through the seasons as the structure collapsed, and the TV towers were destroyed. In March 2010, another portion of the roof collapsed, and by April, a 4-story collapse created a semicircular cliff. A few TVs remain, and the structure is rumored as slated for demolition.

GARDEN OF THE GODS, SOUTH, WINTER
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source: artslant

“Hocking’s approach has always been a varied one, but consistently emanating from a deep commitment to making use of existing derelict materials and finding beauty in decay. He’s worked in rust – gaudily framing with the reverence of old master paintings, enshrined objects found in abandoned buildings, even constructed a pyramid of old tires. For the International Shrinking Cities project, he documented aspects of the lives of the scrapper subculture, and from his vast experience with Detroit’s abandoned spaces, he’s been giving unique Detroit tours to visiting artists…While Hocking maintains that his work is often motivated by irritation at something or other, it would seem it really stems from compassion: compassion for forgotten places and those things we’d rather keep out of sight, and hence out of mind.”
–Nick Sousanis, Editor – The Detroiter online