Alvin Baltrop and Gordon Matta-Clark: The Piers From Here @ Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool, until 9 Feb

Review by Jon Davies | 14 Jan 2014

An abundance of space has always lent itself to cultivation of cultures away from social norms, allowing those who occupy it a chance to create living dreamscapes otherwise impossible to nurture within densely populated areas. Whereas Liverpool's dockland decline was to be rescued by state regeneration, New York's piers along the Hudson River were left to rot. However, as dereliction displayed the city’s decaying industry, it also allowed hedonistic cultures to blossom behind its metal caverns – and in The Piers From Here, two seemingly opposing perspectives from 'anarchitect' Gordon Matta-Clark and photographer Alvin Baltrop depict beauty and poignancy in New York's architectural and cultural castaways.

Matta-Clark's 'water-and-light temple' – a crescent cut into a disused hangar, a sweeping window into Pier 52 – is contrasted by the lulling waves of the Hudson. The incision is not unlike the stained glass of a cathedral, in effect conceiving a secular shrine to post-industrial sublimation. Accompanied by a rough sketch of Matta-Clark's architectural design, Baltrop's photos of the piece inspire awe; the degradation of the interior does not so much bathe in the sun as receive deliberate piercings, reflecting the harsh, unnatural landscape along New York's waterfront.

Whereas the work of Matta-Clark evokes something of the near religious, the carnal voyeurism captured by Baltrop reflects a highly personal experience. Focusing on the piers’ sordid undercurrent, Baltrop excels in documenting the cruising, drug dealing, murders and suicides taking place by the Hudson. The collection's presentation – intimate black-and-white portraits – helps to convey the thrill and danger Baltrop found himself in; the degraded studios and vibrant individuals never feel welcoming, but are nonetheless enticing. While you can sense that the cruisers had warmed to Baltrop's documentation, a certain distance is maintained in those images that capture chilling displays of violence and neglect, aimless wanderers, body bags and police investigators. Between these moments, however, Baltrop frames an intimacy, bringing to the fore the relative freedom of homosexuality at the piers, presenting them as a lurid paradise. [Jon Davies]

The Piers From Here, Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool, 10.30am-5.30pm, Tue-Sun, until 9 Feb 2014, free http://www.openeye.org.uk