Fisher Body Plant Interior, 2012

Philip Jarmain grew up near London, Ontario, with part of his childhood spent in Switzerland and Ireland. There were also many family trips to Mexico. His mother is a textile artist and fathers an entrepreneur. A childhood love of storytelling led to early fascination with film, photography and cameras. dShort dramas shot with an 8 mm wind-up camera were a passion. Later, his training was in film (Vancouver Film School), and for some years he worked in lighting for feature films and episodic television, and after that as stills photographer for film.

While establishing himself as a full time artist in photography, Jarmain supports himself as a commercial photographer specializing in conceptual advertising, based in Vancouver, where he lives, and Toronto. In this area he is a recipient of multiple Lürzers Archive and Communication Arts awards as well as other international honors.

One of hundreds of auto related factories that sprung up in the motor city, Fisher Body built the white steel reinforced concrete building in 1919 to continue their booming business of making auto bodies for General Motors, Hudson, Studebaker, Ford and others. It was their 21^st plant. In the end they would construct 40 similar buildings throughout the city. The six-story building became a part of General Motors when they bought Fisher Body in 1926.

Like most industrial buildings in the city during World War 2, production shifted from car bodies to war related necessities like parts for planes and tanks. After the war and until its closure in 1984 the plant churned out bodies for large vehicles like buses and limousines. After sitting vacant, the last incarnation of the plant was as Carter Color Coat Company, which operated the plant from 1990 before closing just 3 years later.

Since its abandonment, the contaminated building has been a popular spot for urban explorers and graffiti artists. Elaborate spray-paint murals contrast with windows shaded green, casting an eerie light on
the columns and walls within. Spray booths with track still line the top floor, slowly being dismantled by scrappers.