Some images from the Sites of Execution Archives. These images in particular are from some of my favorite states, West Virginia, New Mexico, and New Jersey and are not included on the website. They, along with others will make an appearance in the book. They also happen to be some of the first states visited and documented.
New Mexico State Penitentiary for one thing, is completely pink as you can see. A beautiful pink. The inside still has many traces of the prison riots that went on there in the 80's, blood stains from beheadings and all. It was psychologically layered, psychically charged, and felt like walking into a fresh battle zone, though it has been abandoned some time now. Some events really can linger in a space I believe, though I cannot explain how or why.
The inmate art at West Virginia Penitentiary was astonishing, both in the freedom the inmates had to creatively express themselves, but also in their abilities. The paintings were truly alive.
The execution chamber in New Jersey (the first state documented) had been converted into an 'office' space, which I found to be complex, devastating, and completely enticing. It validated a lot of my initial questions I set out to answer through this photographic series and ignited the fire of quasi obsession in me to complete this series and see how these places have been transformed.
See the Sites of Execution series here and more updates from the Archives on the blog in the near future
