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More Last Chance, 'cause the Internet is endless

POSTED: Monday, September 14, 2009, 5:31 PM

Filed Under: Arts | Last Chance Visual Art

Matt Hollerbush

Every other Friday Monday this week, I'll bring you more from my column Last Chance.

This photograph is part of Philly boy Matt Hollerbush's exhibit "Passage of Time, Passage of Place," which is currently up at Group M (1050 N. Hancock St., Suite 61, 215-546-1995) through September 17. Though it's hard to tell, it was shot in the Divine Lorraine Hotel, a gorgeous, giant structure on Broad Street that embodies several conflicting aspects of the city ' it once housed the nouveau riche industry kings, then it became a beacon of the civil rights movement, and now it's in re-development limbo. One of the most compelling things about Hollerbush's photos (more of which you can see in our online photo gallery) is that he zooms in on the little things ' china, cracked paint, dirty carpet ' that could turn up just about anywhere. It has the strange effect of making every place feel the same, which is at once terrible and comforting.

City Paper: I assume not just anyone can get into the Divine Lorraine. Did you sneak in or gain permission somehow?

Matt Hollerbush: I gained access in 2006 and 2007. The first time via a caretaker and the second during the "deconstruction" phase. Both times at your own risk but with permission.

CP: Can you describe walking through the hotel for me? Were there parts of it that were unsafe to walk through?

MH: In 2006 everything was surprisingly intact,'as if the tenants had just left. Rooms with furniture, personal belongings and lots of peeling paint. The first and top floor were the most notable and beautiful in architectural and preserved details. 'The lower floor being the reception, lounge and dining area ' old-school luxury with the patina of age and changing uses. The top floor held a grand sanctuary with theater seats and another dining area. From the glass block sections of the roof to the ornate bar, the sense of what was once was inspiring.

In general, the building was in great shape structurally ' the only danger being navigating the pitch-black stairway without a flashlight to get to the next floor. In 2007, everything including the floor boards was being salvaged for resale. It was stripped of the luxuries and details, but still held the essence of past grandeur and clues of its inhabitants and history.

CP: Much of your other work is of foreign states and countries. Why shoot the Lorraine, which is in your hometown? Did you see it as being as unfamiliar as those other places?

MH: I am drawn to the unfamiliar, something outside my daily visual diet. Thus foreign places and especially visual gems like the Hotel are appealing subjects.

CP: What was your original inspiration for photographing the Lorraine?

MH: It was an opportunity to visit a time capsule.

CP: Much of your work hones in on tiny elements in a scene ' glass ware, Cheerios strewn on the ground, clothespins ' or interesting geometrical shapes and patterns. What interests you about these things?

MH: I like the sublime, the subtle suggestion or clue of what or who once was. The essence vs the obvious.

CP: By honing in on the tiny elements, you also make it difficult to tell where the photograph was shot in a larger sense. Is this on purpose, and if so, why do you do it?

MH: I don't think it's a conscious effort. I'm a fan of timelessness.

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