BANKRUPT

At the beginning of 2001, I started taking pictures of recently abandoned offices and the things people had left behind. This project was more than photography for me. It was economic archeology. America has not suffered such a vertiginous economic collapse since the 1930's, and I wanted to document the human cost while it was happening. There is something very strange about walking into a recently abandoned office. The heavy, Pompeii-like stillness, punctuated only by the occasional sound of the air-conditioning turning itself on. A coat-hanger waiting patiently for a coat. A limp "happy birthday" balloon on the floor. A drawer stuffed with take-out menus. Everywhere, signs of life, interrupted.　ってことでこれはネットバブル後の頃ですが、「諸行無常ノ響キアリ」な状況に陥った市況の影響が直接感じられる昨今、2005年に出版されたPhillip Toledanoの人の気配が残る空オフィスのドキュメント「BANKRUPT」の写真が存在感を増している。ちなみにこの写真集はAmazonでも買えます。日本でも誰かが祭りの後のリーマンのオフィス風景とか撮影してるだろうか…。フィリップ・トルダーノは1968年ロンドン生まれ。現在はニューヨーク在住。広告代理店に務めたあと写真家になったひとだす。