4,023 Comments for Riverside State Hospital

You are a braver man than I am, Mr. Motts

A portal to an infernal nether region?

There is some irony to the weird comment above that we have all been referencing, and that is that this very photo is still one of my top favorites that Motts has done. Given what a large body of work Motts has and given that, like many others, I am drawn to this site such that I come back often in hopes of finding new material and looking at the old material again and again, that is saying something powerful about the impact this particular image has made on me. I think that's why I reacted as strongly as I did. This shot rocks absolutely. Anyone who doesn't feel the impact of this shot would better spend their time looking at Disney art. Disney art is lovely, it has clean lines and pretty colors, and even the very youngest people can understand it. There is a nice "black and white" "good versus evil" "and they lived happily ever after" feel to Disney art that you don't find here, because this is a reflection of reality.

The images on this site are darker and speak to things that are more substantial, more complex, and are the remnants of a culture that few outsiders generally want to understand (although most want to condemn without understanding all the complexities and subtleties that have been involved). I am lost at times looking through the power plant and harbor pix, but I can use my feel for colors, shapes, and textures to let them take me somewhere. I am most drawn to the pix of the abandoned institutions because I have spent the majority of my adult life working in them and getting to know the people and practices, current and past, that are part and parcel of them and that have shaped them. When I see these pix, I am reminded of many things, because I have walked down (and still walk down) similar halls and have spent time with people who have lived in these settings for much or all of their lives. There are great stories, there are wonderful stories, there are terrible stories, and there are boring stories, just like the stories we all have of our own lives.

Seeing these reminders of how things were in the past, I am glad that institutions are no longer like they used to be, but not because the institutions have changed - because the culture that used to support the practices that occurred in these institutions has changed. An institution is nothing more and nothing less than the sum of the attitudes that people have about other people. The people who formerly and currently work and live in institutions are you and me. To condemn and pity them is to condemn and pity you and me. When I see people come on to this site who make comments about how horrible it must have been to live here, I know they are unaware of how difficult it would be to be in the clutches of a devastating mental illness, both for the person involved and for those who love them. Sometimes living in the community is not an option. It's just that simple. And when I see people come on to this site and condemn everyone who was ever associated with an institution, again I know they are unaware of how horrible it was to work under the conditions the staff did and to have to observe the wretchedness produced by the lack of funding and lack of caring from the outside world.

I want the people who lived here and the staff who worked here to have a voice and be remembered in all their complexities, and I am frustrated that so many assumptions are made about both groups of people without taking the time to research the conditions under which the one group lived and the other group worked. But caring about others requires an investment of time and energy that few are willing to expend, and this, my friends, is where bad institutions come from.

[Tripping as she jumps off soapbox and spraining her ankle.]

I really enjoy/appreciate your photos of old equipment like this. With your eye for these kind of photos, I wish you lived in Nevada or No.Cal., where there are hundreds of abandoned mines and ore mills that you could sneak around with your camera. In fact, there is even a ghost area (now only a crossroad) named Motts just south of Carson City and the town of Genoa. Relatives?

possibly more of a fire escape than a stairwell. Being detached from the main building, it would be free from smoke or flames should a fire occur in the main structure.

You could probably build a new small house today for what it would cost to replace this chimney. Love your eye for outstanding architecture and design.

Hey Matt, thanks for the very detailed explanation of a rather strange cooking device. I have never seen one of these and appreciate your remarks. It seems like its sort of an early or commercial-type pressure cooker, right? I wonder if the three different levels resulted in three different cooking times or temperatures. There must have been plenty of internal pressure to require such heavy hinges and latch wheels. Again, thanks.

eric, it takes a special kind of person to appreciate the beauty in the mundane, but, imo, this is the furthest thing from it. it takes a thoughtful (and, i daresay, reasonably intelligent)person to appreciate a forgotten history, the story of a life far different from one's own. and it takes a true artist, like motts, to be able to combine the 2 in such a dramatic and compelling way. but i wouldn't expect someone like you to understand that concept, so i apologize if my rationale is beyond your comprehension. i really should know better than to always expect civilized behavior , but i'm still so invariably taken by surprise. i do not normally surround myself with people of your particular caliber or mind set, so i am unable to understand your inability to appreciate the nature of this medium, the detail to composition (yes, these aren't merely snapshots, there is an art to taking a good picture, haven't you ever admired ansel adams' work? or is that beyond your scope of creativity and the appreciation thereof?), or your blatant contempt for something that you, frankly, have no concept. if you can't tell the difference between "patronising" (sic) and genuine regard and appreciation, i suggest you look it up. also a course in human behavior (along with a class in etiquette!) might not be such a bad idea. why in the world would ANYONE waste their time on a web site just to patronize someone we don't even know??? hello!?! think about it.
~a~

What's with the coming onto someone's site and making rude, unsolicited comments while forgetting basic grammar, punctuation, manners, and showing an obvious lack of awareness that some people have a wider appreciation of aesthetics, yet at the same time making yourself an object of scorn, derision and pity? :-)

We all just happen to appreciate Mott's talent!!

YOUR WEB SIGHT IS OUT OF THIS WORLD IF I FEEL MY MY DAY IS BAD I COME TO YOUR WEB PAGE AN SEE THE PICTURES AN THINK IM FREE ON A TRIP A WAY FORM EVERDAY PROBLEMS THANKS FOR HAVEING THIS SIGHT E MAIL IS COOLBUD@YAHOO.COM IM GONE

...No....

plus I am going to have my remains scattered in this room.

eric,
We are not patronizing, we are in awe; there is a difference.

Why are you all so patronising?
Whats with all this wow great colours,
youve outdone yourself crap?