WorkPhotography

Dave Jordano's images of Detroit at night show the determination of a post-Industrial city

In his series, A Detroit Nocture, critically-acclaimed photographer Dave Jordano focuses on the buildings, shopfronts and structures of Detroit at night. Unlike his previous work, Detroit: Unbroken Down, where he documents the lives of the post-industrial city's struggling residents, this collection focuses on the places where they live and work.

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All images courtesy of Dave Jordano

All images courtesy of Dave Jordano

These nocturnal images aim to unveil the determination of Detroit's residents to survive, against all odds, and how neighbourhoods have survived through community spirit and supporting one another.

Also available as a photobook, A Detroit Nocture, published by PowerHouse Books, the description reads: "All of these places of business and residencies, whether large or small, are in many ways symbols representing the ongoing story that is Detroit, and a testament to the tenacity of those who are trying desperately to hold on to what is left of the social and economic fabric of the city. These photographs speak to that truth without casting an overly sentimental gaze."

Discover more about Dave Jordano at davejordano.com.

A worn pale blue building with faded orange signage for AAA Used Auto Sales & Parts, illuminated at dusk against a dark sky
Weathered yellow storefront of Bailey Lounge at night beside a brick building, with a rusted sign lying on the ground in Detroit
Neon-lit sign for Beijing China Chinese Food Carry Out glowing above a turquoise-painted building at night in Detroit
Nighttime view of a pink-painted building with a window display featuring "Girls Girls" text and an illustration of a figure against a yellow and blue background
Weathered residential building beside Black Bottom Cuts barbershop with green-shuttered storefront and neon signage at night in Detroit
A red brick building at night with a yellow sign reading "Brents Place" on its corner, lit storefront windows, and a dark street below
Weathered wooden house with boarded windows surrounded by overgrown vegetation and a yellow flower in the foreground, beneath a dramatic dusky sky
Detroit United storefront with red dome roof and circular window designs illuminated at night, flanked by a yellow brick building and Cyber Candy shop
A two-storey brick building housing a pizza deli on the ground floor, illuminated at night with a yellow neon sign in the upper window against a dark sky
A small white church building with tan metal panels and two crosses on its doors, photographed at dusk against a dark blue sky, from Dave Jordano's A Detroit Nocturne series
Abandoned wooden house with white picket fence bearing graffiti including "Black Lives Matter America" and "God Bless Detroit
Nighttime scene of a white brick building next to colourful murals, with a Victorian mansion illuminated in the distance under a twilight sky
Hec's Bar, a brick building with illuminated signage established 1934, photographed at night with neon open sign in window
A basketball hoop stands abandoned in a cracked driveway beside a dilapidated brick house at night, with bare trees and overgrown vegetation visible in Detroit
Pink-painted Julia's Cleaners storefront with illuminated signage photographed at night in Detroit
A white concrete shopfront with "MAXIN & RELAXIN" text above a dark doorway, photographed at night in Detroit
An abandoned motel with a neon sign illuminated against a dusky pink sky, surrounded by derelict buildings in Detroit
A row of mismatched vintage chairs arranged against a red brick building wall with boarded-up windows and a satellite dish, photographed during daytime by Dave Jordano
Simmon's Records storefront illuminated at night, advertising music, CDs and snacks since 1966, with musical note graphics on the yellow brick wall
A brightly lit lime-green brick wall at night bears the text "At some point, we forgot that we all belong to each other" attributed to Patrick Gass Beyele, with bare trees illuminated alongside it.
A weathered metal fence with a white "WE BUY GOLD" sign in red letters stands beside still water, with autumn trees glowing in evening light behind it
Nighttime photograph of a storefront with "We Check Everything" in red letters on a white marquee, blue corrugated metal fencing, and pink neon lighting, from Dave Jordano's A Detroit Nocturne series
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