The inexorable passing of time, impermanence and decay weave their melancholy way through the latest series of work by photographer Clint Woodside currently on show at Philadelphia’s Space 1026. The artist is now based in Los Angeles, but his upbringing in Buffalo, upstate New York, plays a large part in the theme and tone of Build Us a Path.
Once the 8th largest city in the US, Buffalo is located on the shores of Lake Eerie and its geography helped make it a booming industrial centre. However, along with many other northeastern cities, Buffalo fell victim to the manufacturing decline in the second half of last century. The region once known as the Steel Belt soon became the Rust Belt, and Woodside’s childhood among the abandoned factories and warehouses still seems to echo in his work today. In this collection, the cars are rusting, the bulbs are shot, the towns largely forgotten or bypassed by a road to somewhere else. He uses traditional film and development techniques which further enhance the dated effect, and intersperses his own work with archival photographs. Woodside, who was a part of the Space 1026 project for 8 years before his move west, returns to the collective’s gallery space with Build Us a Path until 29 May.
