Friday, July 25, 2008

See and Do - Before it All Vanishes

by By Kirsten Tagami / www.ajc.com

Alpharetta native Holt Webb quit his job at a camera store to take on a project that has special resonance for those of us who live in this constantly changing metropolis. He is traveling across America, photographing vanishing places. And there are plenty: from fields of retired airplanes to entire small towns that have been abandoned.

Webb told the AJC that the project has its roots in his childhood experience of seeing natural places paved over and turned into shopping centers or housing.“Growing up, I saw many of the places where I used to play succumb to development. I saw the same thing when I lived in San Diego, where there were always new strip malls or condos being built, and it broke me up. True, some changes are for the better, but how many kids do you think will ever see a black bear or a ponderosa pine? Seeing these places change so quickly made me think I should go out and see what America has before it’s all different.”

His journey — in a vegetable oil and solar-powered Winnebago — isn’t over. But you can see his photos so far at Ann Jackson Gallery, 932 Canton St. in Roswell. The gallery’s regular hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays; noon-5 p.m. Sundays. More info. at the gallery’s website and at Webb’s site or by calling 770-993-4783.

No comments: