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{{short description|American photographer}}
{{pp-pc1}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox person {{Infobox person
|name = | name =
|image = Seph Lawless 2014.jpg | image =
|birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1978}} | birth_date =
⚫ | nationality = American
|birth_place = ]
⚫ | occupation = Photographer
|residence = Cleveland, Ohio
⚫ | years_active = 2005{{ndash}}present<ref name="Slawless">{{cite web|title=About|url=http://sephlawless.com/my-story/|website=SephLawless.com|accessdate=November 28, 2017}}</ref>
⚫ |nationality = American
| website = {{Official website}}
⚫ |occupation = ]
⚫ |years_active = 2005-present <ref name="Slawless"></ref>
|website = {{URL|http://www.sephlawless.com|sephlawless.com}}
}} }}


'''Seph Lawless''' (born 1978)<ref name="esandy">Eric Sandy, '']'', August 7, 2013.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://6abc.com/hobbies/hauntingly-beautiful-abandoned-houses/1058329/ |title=Photographer captures 'Hauntingly Beautiful' abandoned homes |publisher=6abc.com |date=2015-10-30 |accessdate=2016-01-26}}</ref> is a pseudonymous American ] best known for his photos of ] and abandoned spaces across the United States. '''Seph Lawless''' is an American photographer who has documented ] and abandoned spaces in the United States.<ref name="esandy">{{cite news|last1=Sandy|first1=Eric|title=The Art of the Autopsy: Photographer Seph Lawless Spends his Days Documenting Decaying Ruins|url=https://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/the-art-of-the-autopsy-photographer-seph-lawless-spends-his-days-documenting-decaying-ruins/Content?oid=3625444|accessdate=November 28, 2017|work=]|date=August 7, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://6abc.com/hobbies/hauntingly-beautiful-abandoned-houses/1058329/ |title=Photographer captures 'Hauntingly Beautiful' abandoned homes |work=] |date=October 30, 2015|accessdate=November 28, 2017}}</ref>


==Early life== == Early life ==
Lawless was born in ], and briefly raised in ], before returning to Cleveland, where he resides {{as of|2014|lc=y}}.<ref name="duberti">David Uberti, '']'', June 19, 2014.</ref><ref name="mnewton">Matthew Newton, Thought Catalog, June 9, 2014.</ref> His father was a longtime worker at ]; through him, Lawless witnessed the collapse of the once-thriving ].<ref name="svalera020714">Stephanie Valera, ], February 7, 2014.</ref><ref name="gvansusteren">Interview with ], ], May 2, 2014.</ref>


Lawless grew up in a suburb of ], Ohio.<ref name="duberti">{{cite news|last=Uberti|first=David|url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/jun/19/-sp-death-of-the-american-shopping-mall|title=The death of the American mall|work=]|date= June 19, 2014|accessdate=November 28, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Petkovic|first1=John|title=Cleveland photographer Seph Lawless chronicles left-for-dead America|url=http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2017/10/cleveland_photographer_seph_la.html|accessdate=December 1, 2017|work=]|date=October 7, 2017}}</ref> He has stated that his father was a longtime worker at ].<ref name="mnewton">{{cite web|last1=Newton|first1=Matthew|title=Taking Pictures Of The Dead Shopping Malls Of Our Youth: Images From Suburban America|url=https://thoughtcatalog.com/matthew-newton/2014/06/photographing-the-dead-shopping-malls-of-our-youth-images-from-suburban-america/|accessdate=November 28, 2017|website=]|date=June 9, 2014}}</ref><ref name="svalera020714">{{cite web|last1=Valera|first1=Stephanie|title=Ruins of the Rust Belt: Haunting Photos of Abandoned Buildings by Seph Lawless|url=https://weather.com/travel/news/ruins-rust-belt-abandoned-buildings-photos-seph-lawless-20140206|website=]|accessdate=November 28, 2017|date=June 9, 2014}}</ref><ref name="gvansusteren">{{cite news|last1=Van Susteren|first1=Greta|authorlink1=Greta Van Susteren|title=From bustling center of prosperity to ghost town|url=http://video.foxnews.com/v/3531984184001/?#sp=show-clips|accessdate=November 28, 2017|publisher=]|date=May 2, 2014}}</ref>
==Career==
In 2012 and 2013, Lawless photographed man-made desolation and other symbols of ] in the ] and across the rest of the United States. He took approximately 3,000 images and 17 hours of video footage that he used in his 2014 book, ''Autopsy of America''.<ref name="esandy"/><ref name="svalera020714"/><ref name="shoraczek">Stan Horaczek, ''American Photo'', April 29, 2014.</ref>


== Photography ==
⚫ A follow-up collection, ''Black Friday: The Collapse of the American Shopping Mall'', contains photos from late 2013 through April 2014,<ref name="gvansusteren"/> and documents the demise of old symbols of American commercialism, homing in on abandoned, decaying and boarded-up ]s.<ref name="duberti"/><ref>Jordan G. Teicher, '']'', June 22, 2014.</ref> Lawless photographed abandoned malls in Michigan and Ohio,<ref name="asmith">Aaron Smith, ], June 30, 2014.</ref> focusing on the abandoned ] in ], built in 1975 and closed in 2008, and the ] in ], which had been the world's largest shopping center at the time of its opening in the 1970s, and which closed in 2009.<ref name="svalera051414">Stephanie Valera, Weather.com, May 14, 2014.</ref><ref>Adele Peters, '']'', April 21, 2014.</ref><ref>Michael Walsh, '']'', April 30, 2014.</ref>


In 2012 and 2013, Lawless photographed abandoned industrial infrastructure and other aspects of ] in the ] and elsewhere in the United States for his ] 2014 book, ''Autopsy of America: The Journal Entries of Seph Lawless''.<ref name="esandy"/><ref name="svalera020714"/>
In 2014, Lawless's photos of abandoned malls were featured in segments on ],<ref name="asmith"/> and he was also interviewed about the photos by ] on ].<ref name="gvansusteren"/> '']'' named Lawless one of its Most Interesting People 2015.<ref name="clevelandmagazine2015"> '']'', January 2015.</ref>


⚫ A second book, ''Black Friday: The Collapse of the American Shopping Mall'', contains photos from 2013 and 2014 documenting abandoned and boarded-up shopping malls.<ref name="gvansusteren"/><ref name="duberti"/><ref>{{cite news|first=Jordan G. |last=Teicher|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/behold/2014/06/22/seph_lawless_photographs_abandoned_malls_in_his_book_black_friday.html|title=A Haunting Look Inside Some of America's Abandoned Shopping Malls|work=]|date= June 22, 2014|accessdate=November 28, 2017}}</ref> He photographed abandoned malls in Michigan and Ohio,<ref name="asmith">{{cite news|first=Aaron|last=Smith|url=https://money.cnn.com/2014/06/30/news/economy/dead-malls/index.html|title=Autopsy of America: Photos of dead shopping malls|work=]|date=June 30, 2014|accessdate=November 28, 2017}}</ref> including the abandoned ] in ], built in 1975 and closed in 2008, and the ] in ], which was said to be the world's largest shopping center at the time of its opening in the 1970s, and which closed in 2009.<ref name="svalera051414">{{cite web|first=Stephanie|last=Valera|url=http://www.weather.com/travel/abandoned-malls-seph-lawless-photos-20140408|title=Black Friday: Ghostly Images of Abandoned Malls by Seph Lawless|website=]|date=May 14, 2014|accessdate=November 28, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Adele|last=Peters|url=http://www.fastcoexist.com/3029341/eerie-photos-of-abandoned-shopping-malls-show-the-changing-face-of-suburbia|title=Eerie Photos Of Abandoned Shopping Malls Show The Changing Face Of Suburbia|work=]|date=April 21, 2014|accessdate=November 28, 2017}}</ref><ref name=walsh>{{cite news|first=Michael|last=Walsh|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/creepy-photos-abandoned-shopping-malls-highlight-reveal-hard-times-article-1.1773948 |title=Creepy photos of abandoned shopping malls highlight crumbling communities of the Rust Belt|work=]|location=New York|date=April 30, 2014|accessdate=November 28, 2017}}</ref>
In 2014, Lawless released ''13: An American Horror Story'', with photos from "haunted" buildings in the United States.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Piorkowski|first1=Jeff|title=The Gasp Menagerie: Book Catalogs America’s Horror Houses|url=http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/90231/gasp-menagerie-book-catalogs-americas-horror-houses/|accessdate=11 January 2015|publisher=]|date=18 December 2014}}</ref><ref>Frank Chung, ], October 31, 2014.</ref><ref>Jordan G. Teicher, ''Slate'', October 31, 2014.</ref> In 2016, the '']'' issued a correction to its 2014 article about Lawless's "haunted buildings" book because of factual errors in Lawless's captions on the photos.<ref>. '']''. Published October 29, 2014; updated February 22, 2016.</ref>


In March 2016, his photographs of ], an abandoned section of ], were published in various media outlets, and he claimed to have been banned from entering Disney World after photographing and sharing his images to the press.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/35863563/the-dead-water-parks-at-the-heart-of-disney-world-florida|work= ]|title= The dead water parks at the heart of Disney World Florida|date=March 22, 2016|accessdate=November 28, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Morona|first1=Joey|title=Seph Lawless: Q&A with photographer behind those viral images of abandoned places|url=http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2016/05/seph_lawless_abandoned_building.html|accessdate=December 13, 2016|work=]|date=May 11, 2016}}</ref> In March 2016 Lawless also took photos in ], a toxic abandoned town which the ] had mandated to be evacuated in 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2016/03/photos-of-americas-most-toxic-city-are-an-ominous-warning/|title=Photos Of America's Most Toxic City Are An Ominous Warning|website= ]|date= March 5, 2016|accessdate= March 10, 2017|first=Alissa |last=Walker}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Jesse |last=Ferreras|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/03/03/picher-oklahoma-most-toxic-seph-lawless_n_9379500.html|title= Picher, Oklahoma Is America's 'Most Toxic City.' Seph Lawless' Photos Show Us Why.|work= ]|date= March 3, 2016|accessdate= March 10, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aol.com/article/news/2016/10/01/a-look-inside-americas-most-toxic-city/21484170/|title=A look inside America's most toxic city|website= ]|date= October 1, 2016|accessdate= March 10, 2017|first=Sam|last=Koukoulas}}</ref>
In 2015, ] newspaper published Lawless' photos documenting the 10th anniversary of ].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2015/jul/30/abandoned-new-orleans-hurricane-katrina-in-pictures | title=A tour of abandoned New Orleans, 10 years after Katrina - in pictures | publisher=The Guardian | date=10 July 2015 | accessdate=29 July 2016}}</ref> In 2015, Lawless released his book, ''Bizarro: The World's Most Hauntingly Beautiful Abandoned Theme Parks'', featuring photographs from 10 abandoned theme parks in the US and Germany.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/behold/2015/07/04/seph_lawless_photographs_abandoned_theme_parks_in_his_book_bizarro_photos.html|title=You Won’t Be Visiting These Abandoned Amusement Parks This July Fourth|date=2015-07-04|newspaper=Slate|language=en-US|issn=1091-2339|access-date=2016-07-12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://money.cnn.com/gallery/smallbusiness/2015/06/25/abandoned-amusement-parks/|title=Scenes from abandoned amusement parks|last=Smith|first=Aaron|access-date=2016-07-12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/photos/abandoned-amusement-parks-seph-lawless-31840347|title=Abandoned Amusement Parks From Seph Lawless|publisher=ABC News|access-date=2016-07-12}}</ref>


In 2017, he photographed houses in the Beachwood neighborhood of ], Alberta, Canada that had been abandoned due to a floodplain relocation program after the ].<ref name=banned>{{cite news|last1=Ferreras|first1=Jesse|title=How an Alberta neighbourhood of $1M homes became the ‘creepiest in the world’|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/3448924/beachwood-estates-seph-lawless/|accessdate=December 1, 2017|work=]|date=May 16, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Post-apocalypse photographer captures abandoned High River homes|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/seph-lawless-high-river-photograph-creepiest-neighbourhood-1.4121316|accessdate=December 1, 2017|publisher=]|date=May 18, 2017}}</ref> Lawless's ''Huffington Post'' article and photographs were criticized in local media by the High River mayor, who said, "When you do things like this and you enter homes, you stage it with teddy bears, you move lamp posts around and you do all of these things to try and sensationalize stuff, it hurts people."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Nicodemus|first1=Kelci|title=Beachwood trespassing falls into loophole |url=http://www.highrivertimes.com/2017/05/31/beachwood-trespassing-falls-into-loophole|accessdate=December 19, 2017|work=High River Times|date=June 1, 2017}}</ref>
On September 2, 2016 Lawless appeared on the TV show ''Abandoned'' on the ] channel, where he talked with host ] about his images of abandoned shopping malls.<ref>{{cite web|title='Abandoned' steps inside Northeast Ohio's dead malls|url=http://www.wkyc.com/mb/news/abandoned-steps-inside-northeast-ohios-dead-malls/307110622|website=]|publisher=Ryan Haidet|accessdate=5 September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Cleveland's dead malls featured on premiere of Viceland's 'Abandoned'|url=http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2016/08/viceland_abandoned_malls.html|website=Cleveland|publisher=Joey Morona|accessdate=5 September 2016}}</ref> Lawless has been charged with trespassing in relation to his photography. Photographs for his work ''Black Friday'' resulted in a police investigation in Cleveland, Ohio, and a misdemeanor trespassing charge.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.vice.com/read/can-you-be-legally-prosecuted-for-urban-exploring-116 | title=A Famous Urban Explorer Is Fighting Trespassing Charges After Being Arrested by the Cleveland Cops | publisher=Vice | date=6 November 2016 | accessdate=29 July 2016 | author=Simpson, Isaac}}</ref>


===Themes===
In March 2016, Seph Lawless claims to have been banned from entering Disney World for after photographing and sharing his images to the press.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Morona|first1=Joey|title=Seph Lawless: Q&A with photographer behind those viral images of abandoned places|url=http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2016/05/seph_lawless_abandoned_building.html|accessdate=13 December 2016|publisher=Cleveland.com|date=11 May 2016}}</ref> The story drew attention to an abandoned section of Disney World, in which Lawless challenged Disney World to clean up the neglected property.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3501682/The-creepiest-place-Earth-inside-abandoned-Disney-World-park-one-two-close.html|title=Photographer Seph Lawless is officially banned from Disney World after taking photos of the park|newspaper= Dailymail}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/35863563/the-dead-water-parks-at-the-heart-of-disney-world-florida|newspaper= BBC|title= The dead water parks at the heart of Disney World Florida}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://uproxx.com/life/river-country-disney-world-photos/|title= A Photographer Is Banned From Disney World After Taking Pictures Of Its Abandoned Theme Park}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://horrorreport.com/pop-culture/seph-lawless-showdown-with-disney-photographer-banned/|title= Seph Lawless showdown in Disney}}</ref>
As an ] photographer,<ref name="esandy" /> Lawless has recorded abandoned shopping malls and other developments, with the stated intention of informing people of the depth and failures of capitalism, consumption, globalization, and national economic policies.<ref name=stones>{{cite journal|last1=Stones|first1=Samantha|title=The value of heritage: urban exploration and the historic environment|journal=The Historic Environment: Policy & Practice|year=2016|volume=7|issue=4|pages=301–320|doi=10.1080/17567505.2016.1252490|quote=Similarly, North American explorers access and record vast abandoned shopping complexes to inform people of the depth and failures of capitalism and consumption. This work is exemplified by Seph Lawless’ photographic documentation of abandoned shopping malls. He explained in a newspaper article that he 'wanted Americans to see what was happening to their country from the comfort of their suburban homes and smartphones ... I knew if I portrayed these images creatively enough, they would have a very deep impact on the viewer'.}}</ref><ref name=pacstan/><ref>{{cite news|last1=Killalea|first1=Debra|title=Donald Trump's America: Abandoned shopping mall photos tell a story|url=http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/donald-trumps-america-abandoned-shopping-mall-photos-tell-a-story/news-story/379ea2b7780ffffbe805c2e4b7418825|accessdate=November 28, 2017|work=]|date=November 20, 2016}}</ref> In 2014 he stated that he wanted to show Americans "what was happening to their country from the comfort of their suburban homes and smartphones."<ref name=stones/><ref name="shoraczek">{{cite web|last1=Horaczek|first1=Stan|title=Interview: Seph Lawless' 'Black Friday'|url=https://www.americanphotomag.com/interview-seph-lawless-black-friday|website=American Photo|accessdate=November 28, 2017|date=April 29, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Cade|first1=DL|title=Black Friday: Haunting Documentary Photo Series Captures Abandoned Malls in the US|url=https://petapixel.com/2014/04/28/black-friday-haunting-documentary-photo-series-captures-abandoned-malls-us/|accessdate=December 1, 2017|work=PetaPixel|date=April 28, 2014}}</ref> A large proportion of the abandoned malls, buildings, and amusement parks he photographs are in the Rust Belt, which has been heavily effected the various business and economic changes in recent decades.<ref name="svalera020714"/><ref name=walsh/><ref name=pacstan>{{cite news|title=Can Post-Apocalyptic Art Be a Force for Social Change?|url=https://psmag.com/news/can-post-apocalyptic-art-be-a-force-for-social-change|accessdate=December 1, 2017|work=]|date=December 16, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Smith|first1=Aaron|title=Ghostly images of a dead mall tell an American story|url=https://money.cnn.com/2016/11/16/news/dead-mall-photos-seph-lawless/index.html|accessdate=November 28, 2017|work=]|date=November 16, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Malik|first1=Renaud|title=L'artiste Seph Lawless immortalise les centres commerciaux désaffectés|url=https://www.rts.ch/info/culture/arts-visuels/8625416-l-artiste-seph-lawless-immortalise-les-centres-commerciaux-desaffectes.html|accessdate=November 28, 2017|work=]|date=May 17, 2017|language=French}}</ref>


==Works== == Publications ==
*''Autopsy of America: The Journal Entries of Seph Lawless.'' Self-published, 2014. {{ISBN|9780615875781}}.
*''Black Friday: The Collapse of the American Shopping Mall''<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.insideedition.com/headlines/17648-from-doom-to-boom-home-to-rnc-cleveland-is-surging-after-years-of-urban-decay | title=From Doom to Boom: Home to RNC, Cleveland Is Surging After Years of Urban Decay | publisher=Inside Edition | date=21 July 2016 | accessdate=29 July 2016}}</ref>
*''Black Friday: The Collapse of the American Shopping Mall.'' Self-published, 2014. {{OCLC|889105593}}.
*''13: An American Horror Story''<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/behold/2014/10/31/seph_lawless_photographs_american_haunted_houses_in_his_book_13_an_american.html | title=These Are America’s Spookiest Homes | publisher=Slate | work=Behold | accessdate=29 July 2016 | author=Teicher, Jordan G.}}</ref>
*''13: An American Horror Story.'' Self-published, 2014.
*''The Last Lap: North Wilkesboro Speedway is losing a Race Against Time''<ref>{{cite web | url=http://mashable.com/2015/03/25/abandoned-nascar-speedway/#jTjQUDvQIuqZ | title=Inside an abandoned NASCAR speedway that has run its final lap | publisher=Mashable | date=25 March 2015 | accessdate=29 July 2016 | author=Leeson, Jeff}}</ref>
*''The Last Lap: North Wilkesboro Speedway Is Losing a Race Against Time.'' Self-published, 2015.
*''The Trolley Tragedy of 1957''<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3169044/Seph-Lawless-haunted-train-wreck-buried-woods-provide-backdrop-season-Walking-Dead.html | title=Creepy haunted train found abandoned deep in the Ohio woods - and its already being eyed as a set for the Walking Dead | date=21 July 2015 | accessdate=29 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://fox8.com/2015/07/09/photos-local-photographer-takes-you-inside-abandoned-train-wreck-that-looks-like-a-horror-movie/ | title=Photos: Local photographer takes you inside abandoned ‘train wreck’ that looks like a horror movie | date=9 July 2015 | accessdate=29 July 2016 | author=Sutyak, Kara}}</ref>
*''The Trolley Tragedy of 1957.'' Self-published, 2015.
*''Hauntingly Beautiful''<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/theater-arts/haunting-images-vacant-houses-give-chills-article-1.2406934 | title=These haunting images of abandoned houses will send chills down your spine | publisher=Daily News | date=22 October 2015 | accessdate=29 July 2016 | author=Blakinger, Keri}}</ref>
*''The Variety Theater: The Night Motörhead Brought Down the House.'' Self-published, 2015.
*''Seasons in the Size of Days''<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/photo-season-article-1.2374801 | title=Photographer takes a different shot of abandoned mall for each season | publisher=Daily News | date=25 September 2015 | accessdate=29 July 2016 | author=Liotta, Paul}}</ref>
*''Hauntingly Beautiful (13th Series).'' Self-published, 2015.
*''The Prelude: The Deadliest City in America''<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/americas-most-toxic-place-ghost-town-surrounded-by-mountains-hazardous-waste-1547387 | title=America's most toxic place: Inside a real-life ghost town, surrounded by mountains of hazardous waste | publisher=International Business Times | date=3 March 2016 | accessdate=29 July 2016 | author=Sim, David}}</ref>
*''Pet Cemetery...In Loving Memory.'' USA: Self-published, 2015.
*''The Variety Theater: The Night Motörhead Brought Down the House''<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.viralnova.com/variety-theatre/ | title=A Man Stumbled Into An Old, Broke-Down Theater - What He Found Inside Is Amazing | date=31 March 2015 | accessdate=29 July 2016 | author=Cahill, Mike}}</ref>
*''Bizarro: The World's Most Hauntingly Beautiful Abandoned Theme Parks''<ref>{{cite web | url=http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/photos/abandoned-amusement-parks-seph-lawless-31840347/image-31841293 | title=Abandoned Amusement Parks From Seph Lawless | publisher=ABCnews | accessdate=29 July 2016}}</ref> *''Bizarro: The World's Most Hauntingly Beautiful Abandoned Theme Parks.'' Self-published, 2015.
*''The Prelude: The Deadliest City in America.'' Self-published, 2016.
*''Black Friday: Seasons in the Size of Days.'' Self-published, 2016.
*''Autopsy of America: Death of a Nation.'' UK: Carpet Bombing Culture, 2017. {{ISBN|9781908211491}}.
*''Abandoned: Hauntingly Beautiful Deserted Theme Parks.'' New York City: ], 2017. {{ISBN|9781510723351}}.


==Exhibitions== == Exhibitions ==
*], Munich, 2014.<ref name="cleveland.com">{{cite news|last1=Piorkowski|first1=Jeff|title=Beachwood Library hosts Seph Lawless photo exhibit on decay of American structures, institutions; Cleveland artist gains worldwide recognition|url=http://www.cleveland.com/beachwood/index.ssf/2014/12/photo_exhibit.html|accessdate=11 January 2015|publisher=]|date=18 December 2014}}</ref>
*Beachwood Library, Beachwood, Ohio, 2014<ref name="cleveland.com" />
*Arkansas Literary Festival 2015<ref>http://arkansasfreepress.net/Index/content/view/4255/70/</ref><ref>http://www.littlerocksoiree.com/post/103103/dates-set-for-arkansas-literary-festival</ref>


*''The Autopsy of America,'' foyer, ], Munich, Germany, 2014<ref>"", ]. Retrieved December 2, 2017</ref>
⚫ ==References==
⚫ {{reflist|30em}}


==External links== == See also ==
*]
⚫ *{{Official website|http://www.sephlawless.com}}
*]

⚫ == References ==
⚫ {{reflist}}

== External links ==
⚫ * {{Official website}}

{{authority control}}


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Latest revision as of 21:09, 7 August 2024

American photographer

Seph Lawless
NationalityAmerican
OccupationPhotographer
Years active2005–present
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata

Seph Lawless is an American photographer who has documented urban decay and abandoned spaces in the United States.

Early life

Lawless grew up in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. He has stated that his father was a longtime worker at Ford Motor Company.

Photography

In 2012 and 2013, Lawless photographed abandoned industrial infrastructure and other aspects of industrial decline in the Rust Belt and elsewhere in the United States for his self-published 2014 book, Autopsy of America: The Journal Entries of Seph Lawless.

A second book, Black Friday: The Collapse of the American Shopping Mall, contains photos from 2013 and 2014 documenting abandoned and boarded-up shopping malls. He photographed abandoned malls in Michigan and Ohio, including the abandoned Rolling Acres Mall in Akron, Ohio, built in 1975 and closed in 2008, and the Randall Park Mall in North Randall, Ohio, which was said to be the world's largest shopping center at the time of its opening in the 1970s, and which closed in 2009.

In March 2016, his photographs of Disney's River Country, an abandoned section of Disney World, were published in various media outlets, and he claimed to have been banned from entering Disney World after photographing and sharing his images to the press. In March 2016 Lawless also took photos in Picher, Oklahoma, a toxic abandoned town which the Environmental Protection Agency had mandated to be evacuated in 2006.

In 2017, he photographed houses in the Beachwood neighborhood of High River, Alberta, Canada that had been abandoned due to a floodplain relocation program after the 2013 Alberta floods. Lawless's Huffington Post article and photographs were criticized in local media by the High River mayor, who said, "When you do things like this and you enter homes, you stage it with teddy bears, you move lamp posts around and you do all of these things to try and sensationalize stuff, it hurts people."

Themes

As an urban explorer photographer, Lawless has recorded abandoned shopping malls and other developments, with the stated intention of informing people of the depth and failures of capitalism, consumption, globalization, and national economic policies. In 2014 he stated that he wanted to show Americans "what was happening to their country from the comfort of their suburban homes and smartphones." A large proportion of the abandoned malls, buildings, and amusement parks he photographs are in the Rust Belt, which has been heavily effected the various business and economic changes in recent decades.

Publications

  • Autopsy of America: The Journal Entries of Seph Lawless. Self-published, 2014. ISBN 9780615875781.
  • Black Friday: The Collapse of the American Shopping Mall. Self-published, 2014. OCLC 889105593.
  • 13: An American Horror Story. Self-published, 2014.
  • The Last Lap: North Wilkesboro Speedway Is Losing a Race Against Time. Self-published, 2015.
  • The Trolley Tragedy of 1957. Self-published, 2015.
  • The Variety Theater: The Night Motörhead Brought Down the House. Self-published, 2015.
  • Hauntingly Beautiful (13th Series). Self-published, 2015.
  • Pet Cemetery...In Loving Memory. USA: Self-published, 2015.
  • Bizarro: The World's Most Hauntingly Beautiful Abandoned Theme Parks. Self-published, 2015.
  • The Prelude: The Deadliest City in America. Self-published, 2016.
  • Black Friday: Seasons in the Size of Days. Self-published, 2016.
  • Autopsy of America: Death of a Nation. UK: Carpet Bombing Culture, 2017. ISBN 9781908211491.
  • Abandoned: Hauntingly Beautiful Deserted Theme Parks. New York City: Skyhorse, 2017. ISBN 9781510723351.

Exhibitions

  • The Autopsy of America, foyer, Amerika Haus, Munich, Germany, 2014

See also

References

  1. "About". SephLawless.com. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  2. ^ Sandy, Eric (August 7, 2013). "The Art of the Autopsy: Photographer Seph Lawless Spends his Days Documenting Decaying Ruins". Cleveland Scene. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  3. "Photographer captures 'Hauntingly Beautiful' abandoned homes". 6ABC. October 30, 2015. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  4. ^ Uberti, David (June 19, 2014). "The death of the American mall". The Guardian. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  5. Petkovic, John (October 7, 2017). "Cleveland photographer Seph Lawless chronicles left-for-dead America". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  6. Newton, Matthew (June 9, 2014). "Taking Pictures Of The Dead Shopping Malls Of Our Youth: Images From Suburban America". Thought Catalog. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  7. ^ Valera, Stephanie (June 9, 2014). "Ruins of the Rust Belt: Haunting Photos of Abandoned Buildings by Seph Lawless". The Weather Channel. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  8. ^ Van Susteren, Greta (May 2, 2014). "From bustling center of prosperity to ghost town". Fox News Channel. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  9. Teicher, Jordan G. (June 22, 2014). "A Haunting Look Inside Some of America's Abandoned Shopping Malls". Slate. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  10. Smith, Aaron (June 30, 2014). "Autopsy of America: Photos of dead shopping malls". CNNMoney. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  11. Valera, Stephanie (May 14, 2014). "Black Friday: Ghostly Images of Abandoned Malls by Seph Lawless". The Weather Channel. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  12. Peters, Adele (April 21, 2014). "Eerie Photos Of Abandoned Shopping Malls Show The Changing Face Of Suburbia". Fast Company. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  13. ^ Walsh, Michael (April 30, 2014). "Creepy photos of abandoned shopping malls highlight crumbling communities of the Rust Belt". Daily News. New York. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  14. "The dead water parks at the heart of Disney World Florida". BBC Newsbeat. March 22, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  15. Morona, Joey (May 11, 2016). "Seph Lawless: Q&A with photographer behind those viral images of abandoned places". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  16. Walker, Alissa (March 5, 2016). "Photos Of America's Most Toxic City Are An Ominous Warning". Gizmodo. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  17. Ferreras, Jesse (March 3, 2016). "Picher, Oklahoma Is America's 'Most Toxic City.' Seph Lawless' Photos Show Us Why". HuffPost. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  18. Koukoulas, Sam (October 1, 2016). "A look inside America's most toxic city". AOL. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  19. Ferreras, Jesse (May 16, 2017). "How an Alberta neighbourhood of $1M homes became the 'creepiest in the world'". Global News. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  20. "Post-apocalypse photographer captures abandoned High River homes". CBC News. May 18, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  21. Nicodemus, Kelci (June 1, 2017). "Beachwood trespassing falls into loophole". High River Times. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  22. ^ Stones, Samantha (2016). "The value of heritage: urban exploration and the historic environment". The Historic Environment: Policy & Practice. 7 (4): 301–320. doi:10.1080/17567505.2016.1252490. Similarly, North American explorers access and record vast abandoned shopping complexes to inform people of the depth and failures of capitalism and consumption. This work is exemplified by Seph Lawless' photographic documentation of abandoned shopping malls. He explained in a newspaper article that he 'wanted Americans to see what was happening to their country from the comfort of their suburban homes and smartphones ... I knew if I portrayed these images creatively enough, they would have a very deep impact on the viewer'.
  23. ^ "Can Post-Apocalyptic Art Be a Force for Social Change?". Pacific Standard. December 16, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  24. Killalea, Debra (November 20, 2016). "Donald Trump's America: Abandoned shopping mall photos tell a story". News.com.au. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  25. Horaczek, Stan (April 29, 2014). "Interview: Seph Lawless' 'Black Friday'". American Photo. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  26. Cade, DL (April 28, 2014). "Black Friday: Haunting Documentary Photo Series Captures Abandoned Malls in the US". PetaPixel. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  27. Smith, Aaron (November 16, 2016). "Ghostly images of a dead mall tell an American story". CNNMoney. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  28. Malik, Renaud (May 17, 2017). "L'artiste Seph Lawless immortalise les centres commerciaux désaffectés". RTS (in French). Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  29. "The Autopsy of America: Photography by Seph Lawless", Amerika Haus. Retrieved December 2, 2017

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