Monday, March 9, 2009

Rust May Not Sleep, But It Makes for Great Pictures.

As Rust-Oleum paint first told us, and Neil Young and Devo reminded us, rust never sleeps. Perhaps it is that tenacity that makes it both so destructive and so beautiful.

A few weeks ago, I visited the Charles Medley distillery in Owensboro, Kentucky. I wrote about that visit here and here.

The distillery as it is today was mostly built in the 30s and 40s, the years just after Prohibition. It stopped producing in 1991. Although it sat idle for 18 years, it wasn't abandoned. Charles Medley did his best to keep it in one piece so it could one day be reopened, but he concentrated on the big stuff like keeping the roofs sound. In the meantime, nature did its thing.

In December of last year, before the renovation began, Owensboro photographer John London was given the opportunity to photograph the property. There were documentary purposes for this, but the results are beautiful. You can view the whole 103-photo portfolio here.

I suggest you just press the slideshow button and let it roll.

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