David Schalliol - Las Vegas: In the Shadow of the Strip

Intrigued by the challenges of negotiating thriving depictions of the Las Vegas Strip and the uneven economic reality of the metropolitan area, I dedicated portions of 2010 and 2011 to develop a more nuanced perspective on the region's complexity.

The images in the resulting project are primarily sited in two locations: the city of Las Vegas and the suburban communities ringing the metropolitan region.

The actual city of Las Vegas is increasingly overshadowed by its southern neighbor, the unincorporated area of Paradise, which is home to the most grandiose contemporary casinos. The space between downtown Las Vegas and Paradise is a sparse place of contradiction, simultaneously underdeveloped and overvalued, a victim of its liminal location.

But surrounding both areas are a ring of suburbs that were first in the news for their rapid expansion, then largely noted for anchoring the area's nation-leading foreclosure rate. Populated by both well-manicured homes and stalled construction projects, their balance between occupancy and vacancy provides a visibly pointed contrast to the similar struggle occurring in the city.

The entire series may be viewed on David's account at flickr.com.