Matt Hurst (b.1983) is a documentary and editorial photographer from Philadelphia, PA. Introduced to photography and the darkroom process by his father at an early age, he further realized his passion for photography during his semester-long residency at the Oxbow School of Art in Napa, CA in his junior year of high school. He received his undergraduate photographic education at the Community College of Philadelphia and Bard College where his instruction by Stephen Shore was a major influence on his transition to medium format photography. His photographs have been featured online and in print in such venues as Philadelphia Style Magazine, Huffington Post, The Atlantic: Cities, and the Daily Mail amongst others. His work often focuses on the transitionary period between the abandonment of a significant structure and its demolition in order to create a visual record of that era.
Beyond White Pines
During the Pocono region’s heyday in the 1960s and ’70s there were dozens of small, independently owned resorts that catered to a wide range of clientele. However, the past few decades have seen a confluence of problems ranging from changing vacationing habits to skyrocketing property taxes; unable to provide basic maintenance and amenities, conditions at these resorts began to deteriorate, which further tarnished their reputation and kept more customers away.
By the early 2000’s many of these resorts had already closed or were in their final days. It seems in many cases the owners were optimistic that they would reopen within a few months or years at most and therefore left the rooms and facilities as they stood. Since very little of the decor had been updated since the 1970s in the first place, the images in this exhibition provide a glimpse of how these places would have appeared during their better years contrasted with the current state of decay in which they can now be found.
To view more of Matt’s work please his website.