Sweet Ruin: The Brooklyn Domino Sugar Refinery

[paulr]

I'm going to be launching a Kickstarter campaign in the next couple weeks for my book project. It's a documentary / art / history book on an iconic Brooklyn factory that's just been demolished.

I realize everyone here has their own projects to fund—I don't want to be the guy who's hitting up his fellow artists for lunch money. But I think we can all support each other's projects by helping spread the word. If you know anyone ... friends, family, organizations ... who might be interested in the book, could you pass on a link? I think this book would appeal to people interested in industrial landscape photography, American industrial history, or Brooklyn nostalgia.

If you have a Facebook account, a Like on the project page (https://www.facebook.com/dominobook) helps out a lot (sad to say).

I'll post the actual Kickstarter link when the campaign goes live.

Thanks so much any help!

132777

132776


More from the project here (http://www.paulraphaelson.com/domino).

[Greg Miller]

I "liked" from my photography FB page. Hope it helps.

[CropDusterMan]

I loved that place Paul...I lived across from it in Manhattan. I'm sure some condos will take its place. Man, it must suck to be a film maker
looking for gritty waterfront scenes in NY these days...all been gentrified. Looks like you have some interesting images there.

[DennisD]

I don't know beans about Facebook even though I have an account.

I went to your page, "liked" it & wrote a comment FWIW.
While there noticed that your "likes" increased by 4.
So you must be doing something right.

Good luck, it's a very interesting building and a wonderful project.

Dennis

[Peter De Smidt]

It looks like it'll be a great book. I hope that it gets funded!

[paulr]

Thanks so much everyone.

[paulr]

Hey everyone, just an update to say the project has launched on Kickstarter (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1534429397/sweet-ruin-the-brooklyn-domino-sugar-refinery?ref=nav_search).

Thank you for any and all support, including spreading the word to anyone who'd be interested.

[Jim Cole]

Just pledged! Looks like a great project. Best of luck getting fully funded. Looking forward to seeing the finished book.

[paulr]

Thank you so much Jim!

[Jim Becia]

Paul,

Good luck. Just pledged and I hope your Kickstarter is successful.

[paulr]

Thank you Jim!

[csxcnj]

Just pledged for a book and pick of a print on fancy paper. Was going for the two books and prints but saw more folks had opted for the next pledge up. I figured they must know something I don't 👀

Can't wait to sit back and enjoy this one!

[paulr]

Thanks so much Bob.

Actually, the 2-book option was a late addition, prompted a by a request. Someone emailed the simple question, "how do I get two books?"
It hadn't occurred to me you couldn't just click on however many things you wanted, but you can't. I think Kickstarter's trying to make it not so much like a store.

Anyway, if you'd prefer the two books, I think you can change your pledge.

Thanks again to everyone who's backed the project or spread word about it. It's taken off like i'd never imagined. We hit our (admittedly lowball) funding goal yesterday, less than a week into it, and then more than doubled that amount today (!).

There are upcoming articles about the project in Architect Magazine, Brooklyn Magazine, and at least one major UK newspaper, so I'm starting to feel hopeful that we could fund the whole thing without grants.

Fingers crossed ...

[jb7]

Well done, and well done on becoming a featured kickstarter project. They emailed me today to say that you were one of their favorite projects; I hope the additional exposure works out well for you-

[ImSoNegative]

excellent set of images Paul

[paulr]

Thank you, ISN

[paulr]

Along with today's scandals in the Daily Mail UK ...

Inside the lost labyrinth of the world's biggest sugar factory: Incredible images of Brooklyn's Domino Sugar Refinery before it was destroyed

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3148715/Inside-world-s-biggest-sugar-factory-Incredible-images-Brooklyn-s-Domino-Sugar-Refinery-taken-destroyed.html#ixzz3exfZYBT1
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

[paulr]

Some great coverage in Brooklyn Magazine: Beautiful Chaos: Inside the Domino Sugar Refinery Before It All Came Down (http://www.bkmag.com/2015/07/07/beautiful-chaos-inside-the-domino-sugar-refinery-before-it-all-came-down/)

and Architect Magazine: A Look Inside the Former Domino Sugar Refinery (http://www.architectmagazine.com/design/exhibits-books-etc/a-look-inside-the-former-domino-sugar-refinery_o)

[Toyon]

Great interior shot. I would like to see it with less HDR though.

[David Karp]

I backed. Looking forward to the book and print.

[Jim Cole]

Paul is awful close to his secondary goal of $30,000 with 10 days to go.

[paulr]

Thanks so much David.

[StoneNYC]

Are these LF images? There's a lot of "clarity" slider added to the images or HDR, but it looks digital in origin also. Can you give us details on the actual photo process?

[Jac@stafford.net]

Are these LF images? There's a lot of "clarity" slider added to the images or HDR, but it looks digital in origin also. Can you give us details on the actual photo process?

This response is timestamped 1437618585 seconds since Jan 01 1970. (UTC). Paul's work is probably not intended to recreate 19th century photography. It is of today. A good thing.
.

[Jim Becia]

Received my book today. It is nicely done. As a rule, most HDR work leaves me cold. In this case, Paul really did a nice job and had a nice touch. The images themselves are nicely composed and rendered nicely. The printing looks very nice. I have not had a chance to read much of the text yet, but I am very happy with the the color and reproduction quality. Nicely done book, Paul!

[Oren Grad]

Received my copy as well. The documentary material both addresses the history of the factory and places the photographs in art-historical context, and fleshes out the book nicely. Beautifully finished all around, a model for completing such a project to a high standard.

[Tin Can]

Somehow I missed the KS and Amazon now is sold out.

But I am on the list and waiting!

[John Kasaian]

Great images!
I've got to wonder though, do those NYC rats suffer diabetes?

[rdenney]

Yes, the images are digital, but I suspect the conditions were so poorly lit that they would have simply been impossible to present this way using traditional techniques.

I'm enjoying my tour through the book, now that I've had a moment to take it. I've always want to learn how to see through Paul's eyes--he sees things I miss though this subject is just the sort of thing I love.

I don't think I could have dealt with the inevitable rats, though. I'll bet the razing of this factory caused extreme unpleasantness in a large part of the surrounding neighborhood.

Rick "now, for the text" Denney

[Tin Can]

Got my copy an hour ago.

Paul,

Well done, The accompanying text was necessary and important.

I am very familiar with industrial process, decline of manufacturing and ruins. I worked in such spaces until 2008. Early forced retirement.

My million sq ft factory was similarly Rube Goldberg. We workers protectively thought of the factory as ours. After all, we had profit sharing for 40 years and then we didn't. I had full access to it's mysteries, however all photography was banned. I did imaging of microscopic metal fatigue on Polaroid. Ephemeral and boring.

I appreciate your efforts and intellectual interpretation.

Thank you