Made with support from Kodak, Newtown Pasadena and the California Council of the Humanities.
East, on the San Bernardino side of the county line, more people have moved to the Inland Empire than Los Angeles. Housing developments, planned and gated communities are its new crops; rapidly replacing vacant orange groves, fallow vineyards, cow fields, train yards and rock mines. Once a rural area, where acres of vineyards and orange groves. were briefly accented by small, 19th century towns, the Inland Empire has become a Burboplis. Mega malls, giant box stores, acres of asphalt, and yardless “McMansions” suddenly characterize a region once popularly referred to as “just so much dirt.”
This series of photographic essays depicts the rise of the real estate bubble, and predicted the ensuing collapse.
Created by Enid Baxter Ryce in 2006 the project website has series of photo essay and short films. Ryce also created at 30 minute film based on the project which has screened internationally.