Rolling on the river

“Along the Ohio”

Photos by Andrew Borowiec

Through Oct. 26

Silver Eye…

“Along the Ohio”

Photos by Andrew Borowiec

Through Oct. 26

Silver Eye Center for Photography

1015 E. Carson St.

(412) 431-1810

Pittsburghers drive over, walk next to, swim in, row in and boat in the area’s rivers all the time – if you live in Pittsburgh, you may take the city’s rivers for granted.

When driving on the Parkway, it is hard not to notice the sparkling view beneath the concrete highway, but have you ever really paid attention to the rivers? Have you stopped your car on the side of the road to scour the riverbanks for their unique details? Andrew Borowiec’s photography exhibit at the Silver Eye Center for Photography takes an in-depth look at the culture of the Ohio River and provides the perfect opportunity to finally do so.

“Along the Ohio: Photographs by Andrew Borowiec” is currently showing at the Silver Eye Center for Photography on the South Side. The exhibit, which features 25 large black and white photographs, will run through the end of October.

The photographs follow the Ohio River from its start in Pittsburgh, through Pennsylvania, Illinois, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. Borowiec tries to capture the pioneer spirit that still remains along the banks of the Ohio River.

Many of Borowiec’s photographs focus on the industrial cities and towns bordering the river. Most of the areas were initially developed around factories that are either no longer present or no longer prosperous. He photographs what he sees as the determination of people to survive in areas that are suffering economically.

The pictures are mostly devoid of people because Borowiec doesn’t want his audience to be “distracted by people. They tend to become the focal point of any photograph, and I want people to look at this region that is shaped by people’s presence.”

The photos themselves cover a wide range of subjects. Many of the pictures include both land and river, creating an interesting contrast between the gruff, industrial towns and the smooth, flowing water. Borowiec captures large imposing factories with smoke stacks reaching into the sky and their soft reflections in the river beneath them. The river’s reflections muddle the harsh, bright lines of the factory buildings in a fascinating tug-of-war between declining industry and persevering nature.

Borowiec features telephone poles being overtaken by vines, beautiful Victorian homes across the street from gas stations, and lone shopping carts littering the bank of the river. His photographs are clean, crisp and thought-provoking.

So, if you have a free afternoon, stop by the Silver Eye Center for Photography for Borowiec’s photographs; the exhibit just might change the way you look at the neighboring rivers.