Stripped: “Layerama”
The initial idea for the photo series, “Stripped: San Fernando Valley”, grew out of a photo workshop class. The specific assignment was simply: Photograph a typology.
As a student of both art and architecture, I’d been exposed to and admired the work of Bernd and Hilla Becher—the legendary German husband-and-wife team who systematically photographed industrial structures for more than five decades. Their approach was direct and unromantic, organizing each type of structure in a taxonomical way. Somehow, the rigid method created striking sculptural images from drab, industrial forms.
With the Bechers in mind, I set out to photograph the ubiquitous strip mall as a typology. Within Los Angeles, especially along the boulevards of the San Fernando Valley, most corners are home to convenient strip malls—a compacted jumble of liquor stores, fast food, hair salons, smog-check stations, et al.
The result? Visually not so great. But ever-changing as they are, they still they hold a general sense of nostalgia for me. With this project, I was photographing corners of areas I’d grown up in; and, eventually, places I’d whizzed-by in my car as a teenager, Slurpee in hand.
layer 5
layer 5 - color
How to capture these static structures with visual interest? How to convey that sense of motion and life? Layers, layers, layers! Postediting in Photoshop, I began merging and arranging photos from four corners of the same intersection. That was the rigid typographical rule. Stripping the color further helped to emphasize shapes and patterns.
The layering achieved a familiar, satisfying kaleidoscope effect—reminiscent of whizzing-by in my old 1986 Volkswagen GTI 16V.
“Circus Liquor” - Intersection at Vineland Avenue & Burbank Boulevard
See more images from “Stripped: San Fernando Valley”, including a map locating the corners throughout the valley.
P.S.
Thomas Alleman - Commercial, editorial, and fine art photographer based in Los Angeles. Tom, an instructor at LACP, created the workshop “The Social Landscape” and “Stripped” was created from a class assignment exploring typology.
LACP - Los Angeles Center of Photography, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting photographers and photographic arts.
More on Bernd and Hiller Becher - theartstory.org