to move up and down
El Cupolog
Pan-american Transmissions : The Road to Tierra Del Fuego
Journey to the end of the world
They call it La Negra (The Black) for a reason. Ania and I watched the sky turn an apocalyptic gray as we passed through Northern Chile’s mining districts.
The region produces a large portion of world copper supplies and the result is eternal, but secluded, doomsday scenery. Everything that doesn’t move is covered in layers of dust - something reminiscent of a snowstorm, only black and constant.
I hopped out of the truck at a gas station and noticed the way soot lined metal fences and covered the limbs of trees that had died a few decades ago. The texture of sand accompanied each breath of air.
At some point, Ania came out of the service area with an empanada and we ate it in front of a dirty gray dog while staring blankly into the sunless sky. The stale dough and old hamburger meat felt like dust in my mouth. When I swallowed it, I somehow felt less alive.
La Negra, Chile - © Diego Cupolo 2012
Waves on the shore/Worms in the floor
Belding Corticelli Building - Coaticook, Quebec
© Diego Cupolo 2011
Belding Corticelli
Somewhere in Coaticook (a town known for its ice cream) we drove by a large abandoned mill. The only sign on the building read “Belding Corticelli,” an old textile and thread company.
We explored the inside. The space was huge and bare. All the equipment was missing and someone had set fire to the first floor.
Coaticook, Quebec
© Diego Cupolo 2011
Found Jesus in a Warehouse
He was scribbling something on the wall.
Exploring the port - Montreal, Quebec © Diego Cupolo 2011
Grain Depository
After the collapse of the fur trade, Montreal’s industry became centered on importing and exporting grains. It’s location on the St. Lawrence made it a major gateway between farmers near the Great Lakes and world markets. Today, gigantic grain storage facilities can be seen throughout the city … and I hope to explore a few before leaving.
Exploring the port - Montreal, Quebec
© Diego Cupolo 2011
Words, Rising From Dirt Philbrick Booth and Spencer Metal Casting Building Hartford, Connecticut © Diego Cupolo 2011
Let Me Follow You Down Philbrick Booth and Spencer Metal Casting Building Hartford, Connecticut © Diego Cupolo 2011
Pipe Line
Philbrick Booth and Spencer Metal Casting Building Hartford, Connecticut © Diego Cupolo 2011
Like Dried Mud
The fourth and last time I visited the foundry I explored a seperate building on the same lot. A few exterior walls had fallen and the inside was in advanced stages of decay.
The main floor was filled with large wooden moldings that seemed to be parts of engines or large machines. Maybe for airplanes. Maybe for tanks. Each molding had a technology company written on it in fluorescent yellow marker. I saw the words “General Electric” on at least three moldings.
Upstairs the offices were completely gutted. Just one rotting desk remained and a few filing cabinets. Pieces of linoleum flooring curled up like dried mud in a desert and cracked loudly under my boots.
There was also a basement, but it was pitch black down there so I didn’t wander far from the stairs. Limits can be good sometimes.
I headed back to the main building and walked through the large corridors one last time. My exploration was complete. I felt a strange attachment to the place after spending so many hours there, freezing in the cold, recording every corner, contemplating each living arrangement.
Everything remained still inside.
Where I left it.
Now, as the temperatures rise, people will return to their beds in the foundry. Remember, it’s next door to a rehab center.
Still, I encourage others to explore the Philbrick Booth and Spencer Foundry. It presents many shades of modern society in one package: the loss of industry, the living conditions accepted as “drugs” and “poverty.”
More than anything, the foundry made me think of those who visit poor countries and come back with stories of disparity and injustice. What about the places they live? More tragedies occur in Albany, New York than in some nations.
This series, for example, was shot in the capitol of Connecticut - one of the richest states in one of the richest countries in the world.
America: Look at your cities.
Philbrick Booth and Spencer Metal Casting Building
Hartford, Connecticut
© Diego Cupolo 2011
