Photographers, Explorers, and Daredevils in Yonkers

Photographer's take of the Gates.

Explorer's take on the Gates.

Daredevil's run through the Gates.

Part of the Yonkers Cityscape.

          With the advancement of technology, many common people have personal video cameras and over the years, more and more people have heard stories of an abandoned power plant out in Yonkers. Many of these out-of-towners travel to Yonkers to have a taste of the Gates of Hell and record their experiences, as seen in the chosen items (to the left). There are many explorers who seek out "strange" or unheard of sites with "No Trespassing" signs. These people come to Yonkers seeking an experience they can document and add to their collection of the "unusual." They, with fellow travelers who they run into or share spots with, have a social memory of exploration connected to the Gates and many sites like it.

          The Gates of Hell attracts so many due to its visual beauty and unique look. This makes it an interesting subject for a photoshoot. A photographer was able to use natural lightingm, which glimmered through the broken brick and shattered glass of the Gates, to create art. This artist was able to take a site which is deemed ugly by most of the public and was able to show its beauty in relation to the Hudson River. Here, a social memory was created amongst artists who take the "ugly," "strange," or "unusual" and reveal its beauty.

          There are still others who do not travel to the Gates because of its beauty or uniqueness but simply because it resembles a obstacle course. Daredevils, as I will refer to them, seek out the most dangerous and difficult to climb. What better than an abandoned power plant on a rainy day? These daredevils, much like the garffiti writers, treat the Gates like their own personal playground and spend the day getting to know every corner of its deteriorating whole. From explorers to photographers to daredevils, the Gates of Hell atracts different groups of people to the riverside of Yonkers and helps to create a social memory, which is different for each group. For the explorers, it is a new adventure. For the photographer, it is a beautiful subject to capture. For the daredevil, it is a death-defying obstacle course. And for Yonkers, the Gates of Hell is an accepted part of its cityscape.