Kara Walker at the Domino Sugar Factory

If you haven't made it out to the Domino Sugar factory, it's a good time to visit. The artist Kara Walker has infused the factory with thought-provoking confectionary sculptures. I visited last weekend to see the installation and revisit the space.

Roberta Smith writes in her New York Times column:

A powerful personification of the most beleaguered demographic in this country — the black woman — shows us where we all come from, innocent and unrefined.

Walker's A Subtlety or The Marvelous Sugar Baby an Homage to the unpaid and overworked Artisans who have refined our Sweet tastes from the cane fields to the Kitchens of the New World on the Occasion of the demolition of the Domino Sugar Refining Plant — runs through July 6 at the former Domino Sugar factory: 317 Kent Avenue at South 1st Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It is open Friday 4 – 8 pm, Saturdays and Sundays 12 – 6 pm.

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Sugar Decay — The Domino Sugar Factory in Williamsburg, Brooklyn waits for its next act.

Since I moved to Brooklyn, The Domino Sugar Factory has been a consistent companion. Crossing the Williamsburg Bridge on a windy day, I could smell the sugar. It was always there, a reminder of where I was—not just because of the size of the factory, but the sugar permeated the neighborhood with a rotting reminder of its industrial past. Currently the factory building is home to a monumental installation by artist Kara Walker. Produced by Creative Time, the piece entitled, A Subtlety or the Marvelous Sugar Baby an Homage to the unpaid and overworked Artisans who have refined our Sweet tastes from the cane fields to the Kitchens of the New World on the Occasion of the demolition of the Domino Sugar Refining Plant. I encourage everyone to see it.

A few years ago, I shot an editorial piece for The L Magazine and got to know the factory better. At the time, the factory was poised for demolition. The plans never materialized and the complex was sold to Two-Trees, a company based in Dumbo Brooklyn.

Recently, Two-Trees invited a group of photographers into the factory to document the property before they transform the complex into a new neighborhood. I was fortunate to be included among that group. I made a lot of images and here is the initial batch.

UPDATE: see part II of the set here or the whole collection (so far) in the project gallery: Sugar Decay.

View Looking North, Raw Sugar Warehouse, Domino Sugar Factory

Inside the Sugar Bin, Raw Sugar Warehouse, Domino Sugar Factory

Vintage Raw Sugar, Raw Sugar Warehouse, Domino Sugar Factory

Molasses Drippings, Raw Sugar Warehouse, Domino Sugar Factory

Rusted Sugar Wall, Raw Sugar Warehouse, Domino Sugar Factory

Wash House Control Panel, Raw Sugar Wash House, Domino Sugar Factory

Pair of Roberts Centrifugal Machines, Second Floor, Raw Sugar Wash House, Domino Sugar Factory

Roberts Centrifugal Machine, Second Floor, Raw Sugar Wash House, Domino Sugar Factory

Roberts Centrifugal Machine Control Panel, Second Floor, Raw Sugar Wash House, Domino Sugar Factory

Dad Mug, Refinery Building, Domino Sugar Factory

Sifters Leading Down to Sorting Pipes, Sugar Sorting Room, Domino Sugar Factory

Bridge, Heading Toward Bin Structure, Domino Sugar Factory

Bell System 520 Telephone Set, Bin Structure, Domino Sugar Factory

Looking North West toward Manhattan, Bin Structure, Domino Sugar Factory

Boiler House, View from the Bin Structure Looking North, Domino Sugar Factory

New Work: Applegate Interactive Photography

© harlan erskine for Applegate Farms.

I'm glad to share my work for Applegate and their agency, TAXI.

Here is the description of the campaign by TAXI:

Have you ever wondered what’s in a hot dog? Sure you have. Everybody has. It’s just that, more often than not, we’d rather not know. But in this campaign, knowing is comically unavoidable. In the grocery store, the “cows” hormone- and preservative-laced meat comes forward to confront moms to buy their dogs. Lucky for all of us, Applegate’s “cleaner wiener” provides a much healthier, natural option.

We photographed two "cows" over at Dune Studios. These characters appear in the Applegate TV spots. We shot the "cows" in various poses to create the tipping effect for the interactive banners.

© harlan erskine for Applegate Farms.

The interactive banner below is one of two final executions.

Here are the TV spots that feature the same characters—

What's in your hot dog? Learn more at http://www.applegate.com/whatsinyourhotdog

What's in your hot dog? Learn more at http://www.applegate.com/whatsinyourhotdog