A Spectacular Fall documents the twelve murals of Niagara Falls painted in and around the American and Canadian towns that share name with the series of cataracts. Though evoking the powerful icon of the falls, these murals, concentrated in an eighteen-mile radius of the precipice, also communicate the deterioration and loss of the communities struggling in a post-industrial economy. As one nears the natural wonder, the representations increasingly deteriorate in the depopulated urban core. Used to mask derelict buildings and cover broken windows of abandoned storefronts, these murals are both social and economic indicators of present-day Niagara Falls, as well as optimistic reminders of past visions of the city.
2005