Cold war leftovers

Cold war leftovers is a photographic project by Art Maples:

Started in 1998, this project is dedicated to recording the engineering and technological artifacts left behind by one of the most significant periods in American history. The global battle between democracy and communism required massive resources, and while the equipment may seem antiquated by today’s standards, it often pushed the scientific and technological limits of its time.

While popular images of backyard bombshelters or East Germans desperately crossing the Berlin Wall may remain etched in the American psyche, much of this decades-long conflict occurred out of the public view. With few attention-grabbing “battles” much of the tremendous infrastructure that helped win the Cold War was rarely seen in any detail. Combining documentary and fine art photography, the goal of this project is to capture these historic facilities and machines as they stand today, before they are retrofitted, reused or destroyed.