• All palaces are temporary palaces. Everything humans build is ephemeral. Pieces of the long dead past still remain, if we look for them. Analog media can still be digitized. Aging buildings can be restored. Our own memories and clothes and stories are a portal to the past. That past exists constantly and concurrently to our reality until such a point that we forget and turn away.

    In an uncertain present, nostalgia is potent for America’s mall culture of the 1980s and 90s. Economic booms and optimistic consumer attitudes were reflected in the candy colored storefronts at buzzing multi-story shopping complexes. People fondly remember a simpler time when they gathered for all occasions at the mall.

    Now, buyer demand has shifted online, and giant malls, once a cornerstone of life, have closed one by one. It is hard to not look back and idealize third spaces that offered safe and cheap indoor entertainment for all ages. However, malls were always intended to build capital for a few wealthy investors. It was financial inevitability that they would just as quickly be discarded once year over year returns did not continue to climb. For institutions driven only by corporate profit, any community was merely a byproduct. But to thousands, America’s malls will be associated with first dates, carefree teenage summers, and days out with family.

    This project aims to archive the spaces that once contained human joy. Companies can vacate the malls, but the past will still be there.

Indoor ceiling with layered blue and purple lighting, a white pedestal with a sculptural plant, and tiled flooring.
A large movie theater screen with an empty white background, framed by dark walls, and a tiled floor in front of it.
A neon sign that reads 'PUBLIC SAFETY' in bright red letters, mounted on a building exterior with a dark background.
Empty dining area in a shopping mall or food court with a small table and four chairs, illuminated by overhead lights, with a red panel on the wall and a hallway leading to other areas.
Empty room with curved ceiling features in pink and beige, dark walls, and wooden flooring, dimly lit with some ceiling lights.
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Interior of a building with a ceiling mounted structure illuminated by blue and purple lighting.
A display case with model cars illuminated by blue lights, located indoors with tiled flooring and dark walls.
Red directional sign overhead with blue arrows pointing left and right, labeled 'Macy's,' 'Post Play Area,' and 'Soft Play Area' in an indoor setting with a tiled ceiling.
Interior of a modern building with a glass railing, tiled floor, and ceiling lights.
Nighttime photo of a blue brick wall with a vending machine and a stuffed animal claw machine in front of it, both lit up.
A shopping mall entrance at dusk with illuminated windows and holiday decorations inside, visible through the glass doors. The mall sign reads "Chautauqua Mall." The sky above is dark with a few clouds.
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Empty indoor room with a metal ladder, a pink mannequin, a wall-mounted TV, and a small bench. The lighting is dim, with some ceiling lights turned on.
Indoor stairway with brick and tile walls, green plants, and a wooden handrail.
Empty office space with wooden shelves on the wall and a poster that says 'Nothing Held Back!'
An empty shopping mall storefront with closed shutters, colorful architectural details, a white fence, and a tiled floor with yellow, gray, and black stripes.
Colorful neon light art installation on a ceiling, featuring curved and straight lines in blue, red, white, and orange.
An empty indoor space with hanging decorative banners featuring colorful stars and swirling patterns.
An escalator in an empty indoor space, possibly an airport or shopping mall, with a blue 'down' sign visible and some overhead lights.
Empty retail or exhibition space with a plain light green wall, white trim, and checkered carpeted floor.
Indoor planter with large green banana plant in a brick-bordered bed, beneath a modern ceiling with a central skylight, dim ambient lighting.
An indoor mall corridor with ceiling lights creating patterns on the tiled floor, and a projected logo on the glass wall reading 'Co Op'.
Empty room with tables, a textured floor, a metal wall, and a closed door with an exit sign, dim lighting, and ceiling lights.
Interior of a building at night with a circular railing in the center, a polished marble floor with a pattern, and a dark ceiling with recessed lighting.
PowerPoint presentation on Christmas trees is displayed on an easel inside a room with wooden ceiling and hanging Christmas ornaments.
Empty hallway with dim lighting, brown tiled floor, green and brown walls, and a light fixture casting a soft glow.
An empty storefront or display window with glass panels and a partially open door, revealing an interior with spotlights and yellow wiring, situated on a tiled floor against a tiled wall.
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Indoor space with tiled ceiling and partial view of walls and counters.
A small shopping cart is positioned in front of a large rectangular planter with green plants, in an indoor space with carpeted flooring and a beige wall. A wall-mounted light fixture is on the wall to the right of the planter.
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Empty indoor seating area with wooden chairs and a table, closed metal shutter, and Christmas decorations including a banner that reads 'MERRY CHRISTMAS' and hanging snowflakes.
A large shopping mall with the name SEARS on the front, a parking lot in the foreground, and a tall streetlight against a cloudy sky.
Indoor party room with tables and chairs, wall decorations featuring balloons and colorful dots, and a sign that reads 'LET'S HAVE A PARTY!!!'
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Indoor ceiling with multiple decorative light fixtures and blue illuminated rectangles.
An empty, lit private shower stall with beige tiles and a white ceiling, flanked by dark metal shutters and a red and black display case on either side, in a tiled corridor.
An indoor space with colorful tiles on the floor and walls, illuminated by neon lights, including a sign indicating restrooms and an exit, but the area appears empty and dimly lit.
View of a tiled floor with sunlight streaming across, casting shadows inside a building.
Dimly lit dance studio with a polished wooden floor, dark walls, and ceiling with hanging lights. An exit sign is visible on a door at the back.
Interior of a building with a dark red carpeted walkway, brick railings, green plants, and a ceiling with square light fixtures.
Interior view of a modern building with large windows, multiple ceiling lights, white columns, and curved architectural elements.
Empty indoor space with a vending machine in the corner, wooden paneling, and decorative flooring strips on polished tile floors.
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Looking up at a modern structure with metal poles supporting a canopy with dark blue and light beige panels, and a sign with arrows pointing left and right.
Ceiling with a geometric skylight structure, light filtering through, and illuminated interior spaces below.
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Interior view of a building with pink tiled walls and white tiled floors; a corner with a large pink tiled column and an opening in it, with a blue wall extending behind it.
A glass wall with a diamond-shaped logo of a mountain, water, and trees, casting a shadow on the tiled floor below.
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Empty indoor space with tiled floor, two large potted plants on white columns, a windowed wall, and ceiling skylights.
Ceiling with decorative cutouts of trees and mountains, with a blue sky-like glow from behind.
View of the exterior of a shopping mall with signage reading 'The Galleria of Charleston Mall' reflected in large glass windows, showing part of the sky with clouds.
A modern building with a glass ceiling and red framing, featuring an art installation with a colorful geometric face and a yellow line extending downward, mounted on a black background.
Photo of a beige tiled wall in a shopping mall or store with blue 3D letters spelling 'SEARS' mounted on it.
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Interior of a modern building with large windows, pink and white walls, and a curved ceiling with visible patches of paint or plaster.
Interior of a room with pink walls and ceiling, adorned with black and pink checkered floor tiles. Four red pendant lights hang from the ceiling. There is a small dark opening on the back wall, and a pipe with a water meter is visible near the floor.
Indoor modern architectural ceiling with curved and flat surfaces in earth tones, illuminated by linear lighting fixtures, with a column featuring a flag motif and a checkered pattern on the walls and floors.
Interior of a modern building with white brick walls, large high windows, and a ceiling. There is a red exit sign visible near the bottom of the image.
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Interior view of a building with large glass windows and a triangular roof, visible through the windows is a blue-tiled swimming pool with a checkerboard pattern, and a wooden table with chairs near the pool.
Yellow caution cone placed on tiled floor near an entrance door.
Empty store aisle with shelves, some missing items, and a yellow display stand in the center.
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Empty retail space with glass doors and shelving, surrounded by beige tiled walls and floor, in a shopping mall or commercial area.
Interior view of a modern building with wooden paneling on the wall, a white feature with an illuminated niche, and tiled flooring.
Empty indoor space with rows of tables and chairs, a large column with rectangular lights and decorations, and donation stations with 'Thank You' signs.
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Interior view of a store or shopping mall with colorful letters spelling "kid zone" on the wall, a shopping cart, and a window with a reflection.
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Interior of a modern building with white walls, a large skylight ceiling, two tall black planters, and sunlight casting shadows on the floor.
Interior of a building with dark wooden flooring, beige and gray walls, and minimize lighting, creating a dim atmosphere.
Interior of a dimly lit modern building lobby with a round white column, two black vases with plants, wood-paneled walls, tiled floor, and ceiling with linear lighting.
Looking up through a glass ceiling, capturing a view of potted plants and a window from below.
A vending machine filled with drinks is illuminated against a dark background. To the right, there is a large white arrow painted on the wall pointing upward. The wall behind the vending machine and arrow is painted in a dark color, and the floor is
A closed store with a metal security shutter in a shopping mall.
An empty interior space with a curved white wall, white ceiling tiles with fluorescent lights, and a row of metal barricades in front of the wall.
An empty indoor seating area with wooden chairs and tables, illuminated by sunlight streaming through a large skylight with angled beams, creating shadows on the brick floor.
Empty indoor space with a red-tiled counter and a white chair, with dark lighting and a tiled wall in the background.
Interior of a building with a dark ceiling featuring curving neon lights in blue and purple, a patterned tile floor, a plain wall with a lit wall sconce, and large windows letting in some natural light.
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Interior of a dimly lit lounge or restaurant with pink cushioned booths, a patterned red carpet, and colorful stained glass windows in the background.
Indoor children's play area with a white picket fence, a sign that says "Welcome to Imagination City," a blue wall with clouds and colorful shapes, a small river painted on the floor, and a stop sign in the background.
A tiled wall with a geometric pattern of white, black, blue, and orange tiles in a public restroom. The lower part of the image shows a tiled floor with a similar pattern.
A white rectangular column stands next to a dark tiled wall in a dimly lit indoor environment, with a ceiling mounted cube-shaped light fixture emitting purple light, against a background of dark tiles and a tiled floor.
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Empty hall with a sign displaying room numbers 4 and 5.
An indoor area with tiled walls and tile flooring, featuring a plant in a raised brick planter with green leaves, and a white structural column supporting the ceiling.
Nighttime view of an indoor space with lush green plants, brick walls, a brick pathway, and a dark brick wall with horizontal lines. A corner of a store with slanted roof and siding is visible at the top.
Interior of a mall or event space with a modern design, featuring a white brick wall, large skylight, and a sign reading 'Food & Fair' in decorative font.
Display of multiple white mannequin torsos with heads, hands, and legs, arranged on platforms inside a modern exhibition space with gray walls and ceiling-mounted track lighting.
An unfinished closet with a black chair in front of a window opening, a coffee table, scattered paper, and fabric on a dark hardwood floor.
Reflection of an empty chair and window inside a building with marble walls.
Interior view of a building with a decorative fountain in the center, a ceiling skylight, and warm lighting.
A modern building with a brick facade, featuring large glass windows and geometric shadows, under a blue sky with some clouds.
Interior of a dimly lit room with a red curved sofa, a large ceramic vase, a patterned rug, and tiled flooring.
An empty indoor space with a tiled floor and walls, dim lighting, a colorful star-banner hanging from the ceiling, and a blank standing sign or display in the foreground.
Dark, modern interior ceiling with layered design and blue accent lighting, also showing part of a marble column and escalator.
Dark indoor space with a red LED sign displaying the word 'TRAINING' on a black tiled wall.
Empty room with yellow and black walls, dark ceiling, and tiled floor, with a black and gold decorative railing and a small black object in the corner.
Indoor stairway with wooden handrails, brick wall, potted plant, and skylight letting in sunlight.
Interior view of a building with an open ceiling featuring a skylight, a square fountain in the center, and multiple windows on the walls.
An indoor space with tiled walls, a wooden floor, and a yellow wall with a security camera. There is also a partial view of a white piece of furniture or counter with decorative metalwork.
Dimly lit empty retail store or warehouse with shelves and display units, some lighting fixtures on the ceiling, and a dark floor.
A section of a Fast Food restaurant with tiled walls and colorful patterns, showing part of a counter and an adjacent wall with decorative tiling.
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Empty tiled floor with a red wall and green tiled wall, sunlight casting shadows, and a black chair on the right side.
Interior view of a spacious room with a drop ceiling and fluorescent lights, featuring white partition walls and dark wood flooring.
Inside a fast food restaurant booth with a worn yellow wall that has black holes and faded writing, a patterned white and black tiled wall with a red circle decoration, and a blackboard surface below. The floor is covered with white tiles with black
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A dark, empty indoor space with a tiled ceiling and fluorescent lights, supported by several columns, with some light visible in the distance.
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A dark, empty hallway with a tiled ceiling and walls, illuminated by a few small ceiling lights and red and blue neon lights.