Remembering Bethlehem Steel

Title:

Bethlehem Steel

"Remembering Bethlehem Steel" is a collection of large format (up to 48 x 60 inches) cibachrome photographs of the abandoned buildings that once formed the great Bethlehem Steel plant. Known as "The Steel", the former plant, which closed on November 18, 1995, encompasses about 100 acres with more than 25 buildings and other structures dating from as early as 1863. Wilkes� photographs capture the haunting beauty of these historic buildings. Virtually nothing has been done to protect the buildings, which have experienced deterioration and vandalism. Roofs are leaking and, in some cases, have blown off, and windows and doors have been broken and interior contents damaged. Using natural light, Wilkes painstakingly photographed the peeling paint, rusted iron, broken glass and halls with wind-strewn debris and created an ethereal diorama that is captivating and compelling. "I felt as if the workers had just left for a coffee break," said Stephen Wilkes, whose photographs document the stillness of a plant that, even in its desuetude, remains a potent symbol of the nation's industrial might. 

Steel from the Bethlehem Works was used to build 80% of New York City's landmark skyscrapers, including the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building; additionally it's steel built the George Washington Bridge, Golden Gate Bridge, the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels, the locks of the Panama Canal, battleships and armor plates for two World Wars, as well as and to reconstruct the White House in the Truman era. Wilkes' photographs preserve a memory of that not-too-distant age, when proud men and women produced the steel that built a nation. 

http://www.monroegallery.com/showcase/bethlehem

Storm That Drowned a City

What led to the devastating floods that Hurricane Katrina unleashed on New Orleans?

In Katrina’s Wake: Restoring a Sense of Place

In Katrina’s Wake: Restoring a Sense of Place, Photographs by Stephen Wilkes

In Katrina's Wake: Restoring a Sense of Place, an exhibition of 26 photographs by acclaimed photographer Stephen Wilkes that tells the stories of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and the Holy Cross neighborhood of New Orleans' Ninth Ward—two communities united by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and their struggle to restore their lives. Through poignant portraits of survivors and haunting images of architectural details, Wilkes' images also highlight WMF's ongoing efforts to preserve the Gulf Coast's vibrant architectural heritage. 


Stephen Wilkes' work attempts to reclaim and give voice to forgotten places and people. His most recent series, In Katrinaís Wake: Restoring a Sense of Place, portrays the victims of two devastated Gulf Coast communitiesóBay St. Louis, Mississippi, and the Holy Cross neighborhood of New Orleansí Ninth Wardóand their struggle to restore their lives, homes and the social fabric of their communities.

In creating a visual story that bears witness to the severity of this American tragedy, Wilkes hopes to focus attention on the ongoing issues of Katrina, and to encourage those who have left the area to consider returning to re-establish the singular cultural heritage of their native towns. The photographs offer a metaphorical framework through which to understand the present tense results of the 2005 disaster, as well as offering the possibility and hope that reclamation is still possible.   http://subjectmattersexhibitions.com/exhibition_info.php?id=30

Carolyn Parker on Porch, Holy Cross, 2006

Presented in conjunction with PhotoNOLA 2011, this exhibition tells the stories of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and the Holy Cross neighborhood of New Orleans’s Ninth Ward—two historic communities united by disaster and the struggle to preserve their heritage and rebuild the social fabric that is integral to their neighborhoods. In the spring and summer of 2006, photographer Stephen Wilkes documented the damage wrought by Katrina in these two areas. He also photographed and recorded the stories of the people committed to rescuing the past for the future of their historic communities.
In Katrina’s Wake: Restoring a Sense of Place,

Photographs by Stephen WilkesDecember 8, 2011–March 3, 2012
Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres Street

http://www.hnoc.org/?p=3180

Stephen Wilkes: In Katrina's Wake: TV in Sand,  Bay St. Louis, Mississippi

Stephen Wilkes: In Katrina's Wake, Brother Charles

http://monroegallery.blogspot.com/2010/08/hurricane-katrina-five-years-later.html

STEPHEN WILKES PHOTOGRAPHS FOR TIME MAGAZINE ON BOARD RELIEF WELL FOR DEEPWATER HORIZON

Photographer Stephen Wilkes gets on board the drilling rigs that will fix the Deepwater Horizon disaster once and for all. Published inTIME, July 22, 2010. 

(All photographs Stephen Wilkes for TIME.)

Rig Control Room

After the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig on April 20, BP began to drill two relief wells — parallel pathways to the oil reservoir beneath the floor of the Gulf of Mexico — that will eventually intersect with the original well. In this photo, workers in the control room on one of the platforms drive the rig as it works.

Ships of the Spill

The platform (right rear, with flame) is supported by numerous craft, including: the Discoverer Enterprise (center with the tall tower), which was the first ship to collect oil from a cap placed over the well; the Helix Producer (lower right with green helicopter landing pad), another containment ship that is on hold while the well remains capped; and a small flotilla of ships that operate the remote operated vehicles, the underwater robots that carry out procedures on the wellhead.

On Board the Rig

The drilling begins vertically, pushing down some 10,000 ft. below the surface of the Gulf. Then the drill's path has to curve into the original well.

High Rise

The task presents an extraordinaly challenge: The drill must strike a tiny target more than three miles beneath the surface of the ocean. As of July 20, the main relief well was less than 5 ft. from its goal. "We're absolutely perfectly positioned," said BP vice president Kent Wells, who is leading the effort.

Fireman

When the linkup is made, BP will be able to pour mud and then concrete into the original well, finally cutting off the flow of oil for good.

Protected

The rigs are located about 40 miles off the southeast Louisiana coast and a one-hour and 15-minute helicopter ride from Houma, La., where booms protect the marshland, above

Thick

Even after the spill is permanently stopped, a vast amount of cleanup work in the affected areas of the Gulf will remain.

For more than two decades  Stephen Wilkes has been widely recognized for his fine art and commercial photography. With numerous awards and honors, as well as five major exhibitions in the last five years Wilkes has left an impression on the world of photography. Stephen Wilkes has completed several documentary projects, including China, Bethlehem Steel, and In Katrina's Wake.

Perhaps Wilkes’ most ambitious project was photographing the south side of Ellis Island (1998 – 2003). With his exclusive photographs and video work, Wilkes was able to help secure $6 million in funding to restore the south side of the island. Today all that remains of the past are Wilkes' haunting images. These photographs have appeared in The New York Times Magazine and have won numerous awards including American Photographer, The Art Directors Club, Applied Arts Magazine, Graphis and other industry awards. Wilkes continues to be involved with his passion for Ellis Island, working with the "Save Ellis Island" foundation and his work will be part of a permanent exhibition at Ellis Island. Wilkes received the Alfred Eisenstaedt Award for magazine photography, and in 2004 he received the Lucie Award for Fine Art Photographer Of The Year Award. His work is in the permanent collection of several important museum collections. Ellis Island: Ghosts of Freedom was published by W.W. Norton & Company in the fall of 2006, and was accompanied by a  major exhibition at Monroe Gallery of Photography October 6 – January 7, 2007.


http://monroegallery.blogspot.com/2010/07/stephen-wilkes-photographs-for-time.html

James A. Michener Art Museum

In 1988, with the support of many dedicated citizens, the James A. Michener Art Museum opened as an independent, non-profit cultural institution dedicated to preserving, interpreting and exhibiting the art and cultural heritage of the Bucks County region. The Museum is named for Doylestown's most famous son, the Pulitzer-Prize winning writer and supporter of the arts who had first dreamed of a regional art museum in the early 1960's.

In November of 1999, the James A. Michener Art Museum publicly announced the largest single gift in the institution's history. Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest gave the Museum an extensive collection of fifty-nine paintings by important regional artists of the Pennsylvania Impressionist School. The museum is now home to a world class collection of Pennsylvania Impressionist paintings.

Ensconced in the Museum's walled, lush "back yard" is an outdoor gallery, the Patricia D. Pfundt Sculpture Garden. Sculptures are on view in a natural setting that pays homage to the Bucks County landscape which has inspired countless artists. The Museum hosts nationally touringspecial exhibitions and also showcases important regional artists.

WEBSITE:  http://www.michenermuseum.org/about/

ELLIS ILAND PROJECT

PROJECT WEBSITE :                http://www.ellisislandghosts.com/

It's hard to imagine a place that says more about the American experience than Ellis Island. For twelve million people, Ellis Island was the doorway to a new life. The hopes and dreams of several generations of immigrants began and sometimes ended there, and there are few American families who can't trace their heritage back to someone whose first footsteps on American soil happened at Ellis Island. For five years, renowned photographer Stephen Wilkes had free reign of the island's hospital complex. Neglected for nearly fifty years, the buildings were in an extreme state of disrepair: lead paint peeled from the ceilings and walls, vines and trees grew through the floorboards of once cramped wards. In these long-abandoned spaces, Wilkes discovered an unyielding solitude, yet also found undeniable evidence of life, not only in the implicit remembrances of the people who resided there, but in the radiant, beckoning light in which these scenes were captured.                             

http://www.michenermuseum.org/exhibits/ellis.php

Magical Lighting of Ellis Island

Stephen Wilkes discusses the importance of light in his photographs 

of this place where millions of immigrants once passed through.

Ellis Island's Dark Underbelly in Pictures
Stephen Wilkes discusses the years he spent taking pictures of Ellis Island. Why are some of his favorite images from the island's South Side, home of the hospital where sick immigrants were treated? Find out more.

Go behind the scenes at Ellis Island with photographer Stephen Wilkes, who spent years 

documenting the place. He talks about  his favorite images of the Ellis Island experience. 

Michener Art Museum's Senior Curator, Brian Peterson, speaks about the
exhibition, Ellis Island: Ghosts of Freedom.  (2010)

History of Ellis Island's Great Hall

The Great Hall was the large waiting room of Ellis Island. Immigrants waited here for their interviews with legal inspectors after finishing their medical exams. At best, the entire process through Ellis Island took three to five hours. But sometimes problems came up, like family members waiting for a relative to be treated in the hospital ward. Some families stayed for days on Ellis Island, others for weeks, and still others for months.

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/tour/stop5.htm

BEHIND THE SCENES: Verizon World Cup Shoot with Stephen Wilkes

STEPHEN WILKES’ WORLD CUP CAMPAIGN FOR VERIZON

Stephen Wilkes continues his collaboration with McCann Erickson for the latest Verizon advertising campaign. The ads feature energetic fans from around the globe cheering on their favorite World Cup team. Each Verizon ad that Wilkes works on shoots anywhere from 50-300 people at a time. For the World Cup campaign, Wilkes worked in segments of large group shots of fans from each each nation, arranging them all together in the end in almost a mosaic-like composition.

Keeping the energy flowing at a shoot of this scale was important to impart a sense of genuine excitement. Music from each country and audiotapes of famous announcers playing memorable games were played to recreate the raucous atmosphere of a match. As each nation has their own distinct look, hours of research were done by Wilkes and the styling, hair, and makeup team to ensure that each country’s fans were represented properly in their costume, body paint, and props.

The end result is that fans will be able to pick out their favorite individual team, but the composition still retains its visual harmony from a distance.

Watch the behind the scenes making of to get a glimpse of what went on during the shoot:

http://vimeo.com/11849368

Madoff’s World

Among Bernard Madoff’s many dupes were his closest friends, including two tycoons he loved as surrogate fathers: the late Norman F. Levy—whose girlfriend, supermodel Carmen Dell’Orefice, would lose her life savings—and the prominent philanthropist Carl J. Shapiro. Amid the sobs, screams, and curses in Aspen, Palm Beach, and New York, with victims sharing their stories, the author gets behind Madoff’s affable façade, to reveal his most intimate betrayals.

Article by Mark Seal :                  http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2009/04/madoff200904

Madoff Victims Speak Out

Victims of Brnard Madoff's financial fraud discuss their fears, their frustrations, and their uncertain

futures :    http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2009/04/madoff-victims-speak-video200904

Under the Stars: a night at Amangiri- Time lapse video by Stephen Wilkes

Amangiri Resort, Lake Powell, Canyon Point, Utah

Photo: Stephen Wilkes

Amangiri is an extravagant 600-acre resort near the Navajo Nation in Utah near Page, Arizona. This is one of the best places in the United States for star-gazing: The air is clear and dry, and there's very little ambient light. If you'd like less exposure but a more focused relationship with the starry pitch above, six Amangiri suites have "Sky Terraces"—three protecting walls with the open sky above and a pool below you.

Sleeping Under the Stars

A full moon showcases the mesas against the sky. At night the occasional coyote yips, and at dawn bighorn sheep may troop by. Welcome to Amangiri, the extravagant 600-acre resort near the Navajo Nation in Utah as it cuts in near Page, Arizona. This is one of the best places in the United States for star-gazing: The air is clear and dry, and there’s very little ambient light. If you’d like less exposure but a more focused relationship with the starry pitch above, six Amangiri suites have “Sky Terraces”—three protecting walls with the open sky above and a pool below you.

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-35722807

24 HOURS INSIDE WALMART - Time lapse video by Stephen Wilkes

Stephen Wilkes - Time-Lapse: A Day at A Walmart Store

Stephen Wilkes took a photo every 10 seconds of the day for a time-lapse video inside Walmart for Fortune magazine. All in all, 8,640 frames were taken (1,800 that are actually used) and the entire 24 hours is compressed into two minutes. The shoot took place on April 6-7, 2010 in New Brunswick, New Jersey from 9:14pm to 9:14pm. Says Photo Editor Lauren Winfield, “The inspiration was to show that Walmart never sleeps… open 24 hours with no real daylight, you have no sense of what time of day it is. We wanted to see what the traffic flow of people coming in and out of the store looks like as a day in the life.”


http://www.ba-reps.com/blog/24-hours-walmart-stephen-wilkes/
http://money.cnn.com/video/fortune/2010/04/20/f_500_walmart_time_lapse.fortune/

Stephen Wilkes talks

Stephen mentions this photographer:

Robert Altman (photographer) :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Altman_(photographer)

History of Central Park

http://www.centralpark.com/guide/history.html

Central Park was the first landscaped public park in the United States. Advocates of creating the park--primarily wealthy

Skating on the Lake in turn of the century Central Park.

merchants and landowners--admired the public grounds of London and Paris and urged that New York needed a comparable facility to establish its international reputation. A public park, they argued, would offer their own families an attractive setting for carriage rides and provide working-class New Yorkers with a healthy alternative to the saloon. After three years of debate over the park site and cost, in 1853 the state legislature authorized the City of New York to use the power of eminent domain to acquire more than 700 acres of land in the center of Manhattan.

Coney Island Boardwalk

http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/coneyisland

http://www.coneyisland.com/





What happened in 1923?

• Time Magazine is launched

• The Hunchback of Notre Dame , starring Lon Chaney is Released

• Women's One Piece Swimming Suits Begin to be worn.

• The Ten Commandments directed by Cecil B. DeMille

• The Explosion of recordings of African American musicians including the great Louis Armstrong

• Charlton Heston is born

and much more here:

http://www.brainyhistory.com/years/1923.html

http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1923.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1923

Coney Island Boardwalk

The Riegelmann Boardwalk, known simply as the Coney Island Boardwalk, is located along the southern shore of the Coney Island peninsula adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean.

The boardwalk, built in 1923, stretches for 2.51 miles from West 37th Street at the border of Coney Island and Sea Gate to Brighton 14th Street in Brighton Beach.

Many of its most famous amusement parks no longer exist, but the boardwalk still hosts the Coney Island Cyclone roller coaster and the Wonder Wheel Ferris wheel, as well as the New York Aquarium. The more recent MCU Park is home of the minor-league Brooklyn Cyclonesbaseball team.

Riegelmann Boardwalk, December 2008

The Riegelmann Boardwalk has a steel and concrete foundation supporting wood planking for the walkway. Restroom facilities, benches and waterfountains are located along its length. As of October 2010, the city has been renovating the boardwalk: parts will receive new wood planking over concrete supports, and parts will be replaced with concrete entirely, for lower maintenance cost.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coney_Island_boardwalk

Wilkes says that he photographs a scene continuously for up to 15 hours. “A select group of images are then digitally blended into one photograph, capturing the changing of time in a single frame.” In regard to the Coney Island photo, Wilkes said: “We will be launching a really cool time lapse video from that particular shoot, which will also be in the gallery exhibition.” The “Day to Night” series includes images of Times Square, the High Line and Central Park, among others, and will be on view at ClampArt Gallery in Chelsea from September 8 through October 29, 2011

Wilkes said his favorite photo of the series is the one of Coney Island: "The perspective is from floating above the boardwalk. The amusement park is night, the beach is day, and it’s full of activity. The level of detail — I’m working with a large-format camera, and it’s exciting that people can see the detail online, but in person, you can see it 60 inches big, and the photos look like windows, and you can actually see into people’s windows…"

http://amusingthezillion.com/2011/09/07/photography-floating-above-the-coney-island-boardwalk/

Stephen Wilkes Photographing Coney Island. July 16, 2011. Photo © Tricia Vita

RESULTING IMAGE:

http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/coneyisland

http://www.coneyisland.com/

4X5 Digital Camera

PhaseOne Digital Camera

http://www.digital-photography.org/PhaseOne_4x5_in_digital_cameras/PhaseOne_Digital_Camera.htm

4x5" Drum Scanned Film vs. 39 Megapixel Digital
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/Cramer.shtml

ARTIST INFO AND LINKS

For more than two decades Stephen Wilkes has been widely recognized for his fine art and commercial photography. With numerous awards and honors, as well as five major exhibitions in the last ten years, Wilkes has left an indelible impression on the world of photography. Over the years, Wilkes' photographs can be found in a variety of magazines including Vanity Fair, Sports Illustrated, Time, Life Magazine, and The New York Times Magazine. One of his most famous fine art series, Ellis Island, was a special artist feature in The New York Times Magazine and can now be found in book stores all across America titled Ellis Island: Ghosts of Freedom. Wilkes has been praised many times by the photographic and design industry for his unique perspective and depth of raw emotion and humanity in his pictures. His awards include the Alfred Eisenstaedt Award for Magazine Photography, Photographer of the Year in Adweek Magazine, as well as top honors in Graphis Magazine and Communication Arts.

HOMEPAGE : http://www.stephenwilkes.com/

FACEBOOK : http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephen-Wilkes/97244237457

TWITTER      : http://twitter.com/#!/swilkesphoto