Nthng Mssng
Designer, Researcher, Writer
What began as a walk through Richmond's historic downtown became an independent research project partially funded by VCUarts. NTHNG MSSNG explores the life of 50 vacant buildings that were on the cusp of redevelopment. Over 2 years, I developed partnerships with real estate developers to gain access to the world behind these facades to find some pretty breathtaking disrepair and eccentric remains of lives past.
To understand the decline of the neighborhood over the past century, I spent a lot of time at Richmond’s history museums, sifting through Sanborn maps and rediscovering the magic of perhaps the most helpful research tool, the yellow pages.
This part of the research resulted in short descriptions about each building and comprehensive visualization of a century of neighborhood decline. Through making this, I realized that you can document and document and document, but that rote documentation won't always offer a story.
I wrote the book with the understanding that its relevance would change over time, as the neighborhood changes, and as the buildings get developed. Currently, there is one copy of the book but in a few years when the difference is recognizable, I’d like to find a lo-fi way to distribute it.
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