past pres erved in paper: miniatures document gentrification · miniatures made of paper and wood....

Past Preserved in Paper: Miniatures DocumentGentrificationArticle by SA Rogers, filed under Sculpture & Craft in the Art category

Today, that charming old brick building on the corner might be amarket where you can still grab a six-pack at a decent price;within mere months, it could be knocked down for a gleaminghigh-income condominium tower. The shift in a city’s charactercan seem to occur in the blink of an eye as the look and usage ofits architecture changes. As gentrification rapidly alters the face ofthe city around him, Philadelphia artist Drew Leshko documentsand preserves building facades as they presently stand inminiatures made of paper and wood.

Whatever your opinion may be about the onward march ofmodernization and urban progress, it’s hard to deny that too much‘spiffing up’ without the careful preservation of historical detailsand the imprints of the people and cultures that have shapedthem can make all cities look the same.

Though cleaner and safer, New York City has become virtuallyunrecognizable within just a couple decades, replacing all of theindependent businesses that once lined its streets with chainstores and sleek signage. The same is happening in cities aroundthe world, much to the chagrin of people who have a sentimentalattachment to what those places used to be.

Leshko cycles around Philadelphia documenting interestingbuildings to later recreate in his studio at a 1:12 scale. Details likebars on the windows, hand-painted banners, graffiti and unevenweathering are reproduced in three dimensions as a way ofarchiving their condition before they’re gone.

Though they may still be a reflection of what Philadelphia reallylooks like, it won’t be long before these sculptures are merenostalgia. No matter where you live, taking a close look at themmight just prompt you to appreciate the current state of your owncity a little bit more.