Part 234 in our infinite series of spooky/cool abandoned places: photographer Brenda Biondo’s shots of empty playgrounds. The contrast between brightly-colored play equipment and pedestrian surroundings is surreal; the photographs simultaneously evoke a sense of nostalgia and project a future narrative with apocalyptic undertones. More images and artist statement after the jump.
For the past five years, Biondo (a photojournalist for The Washington Post, among others) has been documenting endangered structures in their original context, many of which have since been razed.
“Once Upon A Playground” is an on-going series of photographs centered on vintage playground equipment that is quickly disappearing from the American landscape. The equipment we grew up with – from towering metal slides installed in the 1940s to giant rocket ships erected in the 1970s – becomes more scarce each year as communities across the country renovate their parks and school yards. Enjoyed by generations of Americans, these vanishing artifacts of our childhoods represent a tangible piece of the country’s social and cultural history.
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