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Photographs by Chris Dunker
Tell Us What You Think--We're Here To Listen
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This blog, the posts, or the comments contained herein are not the official opinion(s) of Brigham Young University, the College of Fine Arts & Communications, or the BYU Museum of Art. The images have been provided for educational use only. Any other use or reproduction of the images is prohibited, unless authorized by the BYU Museum of Art
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- General Comments, Thoughts or Queries
- Why do you think these photographs are being shown...
- What impact do you think Geneva Steel's closing ha...
- Is the closing of Geneva Steel evidence of progres...
- What was your favorite work in this exhibition?
- What do you think is the theme of this exhibition?
- How important are machines and technology to the a...
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March
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12 comments:
Workplaces are lively and exciting places, but in the absence of people, machinery is left to tell the story. Vincent Price hosted a show, "If walls could talk," well BYU is hosting a show, "If machines could talk."
While I think the show speaks in great lengths about the sociological impact of Geneva Steel and it's subsequent dismantling, I feel the "theme" is more simply about finding beauty and significance in what is typically considered mundane and utilitarian.
I thank the artist for contributing to the memory of Geneva Steel. As a photographer I was very pleased to see the detail that went into creating these documents. As a person connected to the plant on a personal level, I felt the documents were lacking a sense of community. This plant, like so many others across the country, was the economic and social backbone of the community.
The whole exhibit has a very elegiac quality. The tone and depth of each photograph is great.
The modern feel of the low-lit exhibit really enhances the message that the photographs offer to patrons. It is also fun for security guards to walk through an exhibit that is not pink or tan or even a bright color :)
I think this exhibit shows that there is more to a steel plant than machines. It influences the lives of people who work there and their family'. It influences all of us. My favorite photograph consisted of the maintenance workroom. I loved seeing the lotion bottle on the floor, the old clothes, and the other remnants that made you realize that this exhibit was about the lives of the people who worked here. It was refreshing to see something that didn't demonize industry.
This exhibit is saying that even though this waste and the leftover scraps are considered ugly and industrial, they are really beautiful and they have meaning. Anything can be beautiful if it is seen properly. I have not really been apart of the community of Geneva Steel, but I feel like I was a part of it because I was aware of the feelings that surrounded the dismantling and the sentimentality that has accompanied the absence of the landmark.
the decline of western civilization as we know it. we, as a planet are witnessing the dawn of a new age and the slow decline of industrialization, the beginning of the end.
ghosts of the past. It was a difficult time for those of us who were displaced by the bankruptcy and loss of jobs. it was the backbone of not only Utah county, but affected Utah's economy for awhile after shutdown. Onward and upward to better things. Still tugs at the heartstrings, and especially if your tied to it more than just a steel mill. Remember, it was opened during WWII and those vets remember dearly ALL that and more. Happy endings.
I see "Dismantling of Geneva Steel" as a metaphor for the dismantling of traditional society. We had a fully functioning civilization which, in spite of some flaws, reached great achievement. This civilization is now being razed to the ground by sloth and greed, the same forces that destroyed Geneva Steel. What, if anything, will rise again in its place?
The photographs are so gentle, almost reverent. In so many photographs of industrial facilities the machines are seen as dominating monstrosities, but these pictures display the genius of human invention and the interaction of man and machine in the creative force.
It isn't a theme, but this is the only place I could think that this comment would actually go under.
When the buildings and machines were all intact, all of the pictures have this gorgeous color and vibrancy to them.
When the buildings were being torn down, or the machines were in pieces, the pictures were more dull and lifeless color-wise.
Just a comment.
i think it really makes you feel depressed and sad. you can see how much of a tragedy the demolishing of geneva steel really was. thank you for creating this awesome musium.
You rock Chris Dunker!!!!!
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