January 12, 2015

Philly videographer debuts 'Wastelands' docu-series

By Brandon Baker
PhillyVoice Contributor

Cory Popp/for PhillyVoice

Sarah Bloom, who does nude self-portraits in abandoned spaces, crawls through a window.

Out to prove that not all of Philly unsightliness has to be so, well, unsightly, Cory Popp has capped off his three-part "Wastelands" docu-series -- a project that captures how city-exploring artists are using seemingly abandoned parts of the city to create something thoughtful and -- dare we say -- beautiful.

"The main idea here, is that this is a bill of respect for these buildings and what's still there, even though most people have forgotten about them," Popp, the series' creator, told PhillyVoice.com. "People are out there making use of these [abandoned spaces], even though they go unseen every day."

Popp is a 24-year-old Temple University graduate based in South Philadelphia. His next project, he said, is an as-yet-to-be-detailed "Winter in Philadelphia" video.

See the final clip from his "Wastelands" project, uploaded late last week, in the space below. The roughly three-minute (likely NSFW) clip follows nude artist Sarah R. Bloom, who takes photos in abandoned spaces that serve as an artistic backdrop for her work. You can find the docu-series in full here.

Brandon Baker
PhillyVoice Contributor