Casinos can be rancid places, full of sadness and stale beer. But if you just vacuumed out all the gambling, they’re surprisingly peaceful—if a little weird in the interior decoration department. Photographer Joe Johnson proves it in “The Playing Field,” a project that documents Reno, its casinos, and almost zero humans.
The images are simply surreal: reflections of reflections bordered by neon lights and glowing screens. If you do spot a human, it looks like they’ve been added to the scene by a painter with a sinister sense of humor. Still, these images aren’t exactly funny. Like a stadium without a crowd, these spaces look lonely without humans—regardless of how many lights, mirrors, or fake palm trees you throw in. [Joe Johnson via It’s Nice That]
All photos by Joe Johnson
Check out more of Joe Johnson’s photography on his website.
