as we mentioned earlier this week, rural studio has been a place we have visited many times over the last 20 years, for inspiration and ideas.
rural studio was intentionally situated in hale county in western central alabama. hale county is well known through literature (‘’let us now praise famous men” and many others) and photography (the work of walker evans and william christen berry, among others). it is also well-known for the intense strife and poverty its residents face.
it has a beautiful landscape; open and agricultural, but also tired and falling in…some structures seem like they can barely hold on for much longer. but, this makes for beautiful poetic buildings that have rich stories to tell…the layers of patina go deep.
photographs and words by rinne allen