As London prepares to host the 2012 Olympics, there's been no shortage of stories on the condition of the buildings erected for the in Athens. The Olympic sports complex is , the man-made lake set up to provide water to the slalom course , and the stadiums built for table tennis and gymnastics . The situation is easy to amplify in a negative way given the economic situation in Greece. the country's debt, or at least part of it, on a rush to build extravagant facilities for the Olympics. While some have pointed out that Greece's travel infrastructure was significantly upgraded because of the 2004 Games, Athens has mostly been cast in a negative light. Is that fair? How have other former Olympic stadiums fared? What exactly happens to host cities after the Olympics?
Photographers and have set out to answer that last question. So far they have picked seven former host cities to visit so they can interview people and photograph anything and everything related to the Olympics. Their answer will take the form of a 200-page photo book, , due out in March 2013. The duo started a so they can raise money to travel to seven more cities and finish the project. Those people that donate will get to help pick the last two cities that Pack and Hustwit visit. We emailed Pack to see what they've discovered so far.
InÌýthe Kickstarter video, you mention that seeing the money spent on the inquired you to wonder what happens to these cities. Why did you decide to turn that question into a hugeÌýproject?
ÌýWell, I wasn’t sure at first if it would turn into a project at all.ÌýTo be honest, I never had much interest in the Olympics. My wife, on the otherÌýhand, is a big fan and has beenÌýsince she was little. She has really happyÌýmemories of writing to invite to dinner in a fan letter when sheÌýwas 11. (He never responded.) So leading up to the 2008ÌýOlympics, I found myselfÌýpaying more attention than I had to Games in the past. I was intrigued that soÌýmuch of the coverage was about the money being spent and the venuesÌýbeingÌýconstructed for an event that would only last a few weeks. I kept wondering whatÌýwould become of these buildings after the Games, so I went on a bit of aÌýfact-findingÌýmission and did some research. Then I rented a car and kept itÌýlocal, mostly because of money and time constraints, and drove up to LakeÌýPlacid and Montreal.
In Lake Placid, IÌýstayed at , a hotel opened by a former Olympic ski jumper. The hotel lobby wasÌýjam-packed with his trophies and awards. A handful of dusty shopsÌýon theÌývillage’s main street are filled with all sorts of memorabilia from the 1980ÌýGames—the shops appear to be closed most of the time, but handwritten signsÌýlet interested folksÌýknow how to get ahold of the owners. The former OlympicÌýVillage where the athletes were housed is now a prison—well, it was a prisonÌýfirst, then a place to house the athletes, andÌýthen a prison again.ÌýÌýNot onlyÌýthat, but the prisoners helped build the ski jumps used in the Games. So thatÌýtrip really invigorated me, and definitely made me feel like this could be aÌýproject worth exploring.
I sawÌýon the site that you’re photographing L.A., Montreal, Lake Placid, Athens, Rome, Mexico City, and Sarejevo. How are you picking the cities?
ÌýAs I mentioned at first I was really just sticking close to home andÌýdriving to a few places to see if I felt like there was a project in the idea.ÌýThen when Gary joined the project,Ìýwe talked about where to go next, and basedÌýon some of my research and our conversations about what we were looking toÌýfind, we both agreed that Athens and Mexico City wereÌýmusts, since so much hadÌýchanged in both places since the Games left. But beyond that, we wanted to hearÌýfrom people who are following the project about where we should go. OneÌýof theÌýgreat things about launching a Kickstarter campaign is all the feedback that we’veÌýgotten. Those tips and ideas, along with our own research, absolutely informÌýour choicesÌýwhen it comes to where we’ll decide to go. And for two of the cities,Ìýwe’re leaving those decisions entirely in the hands of our .
Did you have a preconceived notion going in of the effects hosting the OlympicsÌýwould have on aÌýcity?
No, I definitely didn’t go into this thinking that I had a good ideaÌýof what I’d be looking at. I really was mostly just interested in seeing whatÌýremained—and that could beÌýsomething positive or something negative. I’ve hadÌýpeople tell me that the Games were a terrible thing to happen to their city,Ìýand I’ve had people tell me the exact opposite. ItÌýreally depends on whom youÌýtalk to. And keep in mind that for every abandoned volleyball stadium or emptyÌýswimming pool, there’s a venue that’s been repurposed as a church or aÌýtheater.ÌýThis project is very much about both; I want to explore and document both theÌýgood and the bad.
HowÌýare you picking what to photograph?
It’s a tough question to answer because, as a photographer, I tend toÌýtake pictures of what feels right, and that’s still a big part of myÌýprocess. But for this project, I will sayÌýwe’re as interested in capturingÌýimages of the old structures, either what’s left or what they’ve become, andÌýanything else that reflects the lasting impression the Games may haveÌýleft,Ìýincluding the cities themselves and, of course, their inhabitants. I met andÌýphotographed some people in Athens and in Lake Placid who were really proud ofÌýtheir involvement inÌýthe Olympics, and that was one of the best parts of myÌýtrip, so I’d love to try to make those connections as often as I can.
WhatÌýhas surprised you the most so far?
Since I wasn’t a huge fan of the Games before taking this on, it’s beenÌýreally interesting to find that so many people are like my wife—absolutelyÌýpassionate about the Olympics, and for so many different reasons. There’s aÌýgreat sense of national pride that comes with the Games, particularly for theÌýhost cities, and it really can unify a lot of different culturesÌýfor thoseÌýbrief few weeks. On the flip side, there are people who feel the Games haveÌýbecome an overblown spectacle, one that does more harm than good. But like IÌýsaid, theÌýopinions are much more passionate than I was anticipating.
The remains of a 1984 Olympics mural, Los Angeles. Photo: Courtesy of
WhatÌýis the biggest negative trend you’ve seen so far in these cities?
There really hasn’t been an overarching trend, and that’s part of what IÌýthink will keep this project so interesting. If every host city allowed theÌýGames to wreak havoc on theirÌýlandscapes and their architecture, I think thereÌýwould be less to photograph, in a way. Sure, there’s quite a bit of abandonedÌýspace in Athens, but there is also a beautiful subway andÌýa lovely theater in aÌýrepurposed badminton stadium. It’s that mix of trends that I’m hoping for.
WhatÌýdo you hope the end result of this book will be?
We want it to beÌýbeautiful, and representative of our work asÌýphotographers and collaborators, both Gary and I, and our designer, the greatÌý. He is going to do an amazing job ofÌýcreating the best package toÌýhouse these photos.ÌýWe also want the impact of the Games to really come through in these photos, to give the reader a sense of the impression they’ve left on these very different cities.
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—Joe Spring