the jonrev projects

@jonrev.com

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Observer of obsolescence. Photographer & printmaker on Lake Wazzapamani. 🖕🇦👁️ Musings about retail/design/esoteric history/things on wheels/whatever... www.jonrev.com

Photograph. A set of off-white plastic computer speakers, and center subwoofer, reflecting late-1990s aesthetics. A pile of wires and other electronic crap in the background.
Poster. the jonrev projects at artwauk [collage of photography by jonrev depicting neon, dead malls, and the Waukegan, Illinois cityscape] Photography exhibits about places of memories, lost history, dead malls, liminal spaces, urban exploration, night lurkings & other crimes of knowledge Waukegan Building • 4 South Genesee Street Waukegan, Illinois • 5-9 PM • Weather permitting jonrev.com for future shows
Video of Scoop, a large car show and cruise in Waukegan, Illinois
Photograph. A Pontiac Fiero on display in a classic car show, a variety of lowrider 1960s cars across the street.
Photograph. A vacant neoclassical high-rise building on a corner, viewed at night in a long-exposure photograph. Traffic signals and passing traffic, in front. A taller building, the Lake County Courthouse, looms in the background. Lowrise commercial buildings to the left.
Photograph, Polaroid scan. A two-story brick commercial building with a wood-shingled overhang. Large painted sign reads "HARDWARE". A smaller sign reads "Libertyville Hardware" with the True Value logo above covered by a faded image of an American flag. Empty parking lot. The business has been closed for years.
Photograph, Polaroid scan. A concrete arch structure at the entrance to a stone and concrete-faced department store building shrouded by eight years of plant overgrowth. Blue skies overhead.
Photograph, a blue Mercury Topaz (Ford Tempo) coupe in a suburban parking lot under an overcast sky.
Photograph. A cat wearing a Coors Banquet can as a party hat. She is unamused.
Photograph of an empty concourse of the dead Forest Fair Village shopping mall. The decor caricaturizes American agriculture with large hanging American flag sculptures and farm animals. The mall is devoid of any shoppers or retailers. Daylight of a mall exit is visible in the distance.
Photograph. An old server fan pulled from the trash wired into a switch and 12v AC power supply.
Photograph. POV from someone riding a Honda Motocompacto e-scooter, the digital speedometer and handlebars in lower frame. A pair of deer in the distance, between the road and treeline in the background.
Still from The Simpsons S18:E3 depicting the Springfield Mall in a dead mall state.
Photograph, Polaroid scan. 1/4 view of a tail light and chrome rear bumper of a turquoise 1960 Cadillac sedan against an asphalt parking lot.
Polaroid scan, photograph of a Big Kmart store entrance under a blue clear sky. The store has been closed for years but weathered, oversized signage remains. Reddish contrast caused by the film being exposed to heat.
Photograph. A "dark gray" stock interior in a 1988 Pontiac Fiero Formula
Pair of Polaroid scans. The left photo is an A&W restaurant sign, a holdover from their 1960s-1990s branding. Letterboard below reads, TRY OUR FLAVOR OF THE WEEK". Right photo depicts the restaurant building, a brick and glass facade with a bright orange metal roof, a tall chimney in the center of the structure. jonrev's white Pontiac Fiero parked outside.
Photograph. Caucasian hand holding a can of Schlitz beer. A blurred backdrop of the Lake Louie Brewery in Verona, Wisconsin. A large crowd has gathered to celebrate the last batch of Schlitz, which the brewery was allowed to produce by Pabst.
Photograph. An aisle of car cleaning products in a Menard's store. Oversized wall graphics at the end display a desktop computer setup from no later than the mid-1990s.
Photograph, a scan of a Polaroid-type print. Red neon sign reads "GOLDEN APPLE RESTAURANTS", the neon light is streaked across the image due to the photographer laterally moving the film negative inside the camera mid-exposure. • Mamiya Universal • Fujifilm FP-100C single-shot reload
Polaroid scan. Exterior of a classic Pizza Hut restaurant, a white banner (from covidtimes) announces "WE'RE OPEN FOR DINE-IN". • Polaroid SLR-680 SE • Polaroid Color 600
Photograph. A bundle of tubes containing poster prints, tops marked with the design contained. Blue tiled floor with a condiment rack in the lower-right frame. A stray Chuck Taylor sneaker on bottom.
Photograph. The aforementioned Navy Pier Vienna Beef poster but all the red and yellow ink has faded from sun exposure, likely from decades in direct sunlight as restaurant decor. Only the blue and some green inks survive. A price tag lists it for $80.
Photograph. A marketing poster for Vienna Beef spread across a wooden table over a parquet floor. The poster depicts the Chicago skyline (circa 1990s given the presence of Meig's Field) with a gigantic Chicago-style hot dog being assembled by heavy equipment on Navy Pier. The title reads "CHICAGO'S HOT DOG" in a custom variant of the Swonderful font. A Vienna Beef logo in the center with the company's story in small text on the bottom. This poster is commonly found in hot dog stands across Chicago.
Photograph. View from driver's position in a Pontiac Fiero stopped on Chicago's Michigan Avenue while a drawbridge over the Chicago River is raised in the distance. Tall skyscrapers surround the street.
Photograph. Corner view depicting glass and brickwork in a commercial retail building - an abandoned shopping mall under demolition. A large theater marquee over a darkened entryway, the mall's former General Cinema quad.
Photograph. An abandoned, specular-clad JCPenney department store entrance viewed across an abandoned mall's upper level concourse; stone, iron and wood-capped handrails of the balcony can be seen. Floodwater covers most of the floor, a yellow wet floor/attack snakes sign stands in the puddle.
Photograph. A ladder to the roof of a severely derelict and flooded abandoned building - a service area in an abandoned Turn-Style department store. Yellow, severely damaged walls covered in graffiti. Daylight at the top of the hatch. Reflection in a pool of water.
Photograph. Corner of an enclosed shopping mall's concourse, viewed from the upper level. A stacked pair of vacant jewelry stores. Tiled floors and open skylights, above. Yellow bucket catching water leaking from the roof.
Photograph. Rocket fin, white 1959 Cadillac Sixty Special. Mobil gas station in the background.
Photograph. A wall in a garage, panel of sheetrock torn away revealing studs, another hole punched in the next.
Photograph. A room in a garage being refreshed. A large, old workbench in the middle, on dollies, between a pair of windows without curtains. A trash can to the right. Wood paneling in the left corner. Dirty concrete floor covered in old floor tile adhesive.
Screenshot, https://www.wbcll.com/, box to order Schlitz 4-packs at Wisconsin Brewing Company is marked SOLD OUT.
Photograph. A variety of bikes and e-motos filling the bike areas of a Metra railcar.
Photograph. A folded Honda Motocompacto electric scooter in a Metra railcar
Photograph. A central court in an enclosed shopping center. A stairway descends into raised gardens and sunken conversation pits. In the center is "WISH", a sculpture by William Crutchfield. China Bowl and Kens Photo Imaging storefronts are visible in the background -- the latter is a former Journey's.
The takedown notice(s) issued against my videos are invalid because the content in question does not infringe on the claimant’s copyright. I believe the removal was a mistake or misidentification, as my videos are transformative works protected under the doctrine of fair use. Fair Use Compliance : 1. Fair Use/Transformative nature: This video qualifies as Fair Use under U.S. copyright law (17 U.S.C. § 107), because it is highly transformative. I have recontextualized these images, intercutting them with original commentary/ambient design to evoke a sense of nostalgic melancholy and critique modern architecture. 2. Originality : My edits provided unique value to my audience. My channel specializes in recontextualization. The purpose of the video(s) is not merely to display the original photography, but rather to serve as an educational/aesthetic essay on the psychology of liminal spaces. 3. No Commercial Intent: The video(s) in question were not monetized. I do not profit from any of my YouTube videos. The new work does not compete with the original and does not deprive the original creator of potential revenue. The video does not act as a substitute for the original works, and I used no more of the images than was necessary to make my artistic and educational point. The copyright strikes have caused significant harm to my channel, leading to its potential termination and the potential loss of years of work, including irreplaceable personal footage and a deeply valued community. This situation has caused emotional distress and professional setbacks far exceeding any perceived infringement.
Screenshot, comment on a YouTube community post: "Why wouldn't you credit the person who took the photos? This seems like something YOU could easily fix." Response by @DannyVaporwave: "Once copyright claims are filed the videos are automatically removed. I get most of my photos from Reddit so the original sources are often unclear. This photographer is the only one that viciously tracks their photos with copyright ID so he can file copyright claims against YouTube channels. If you check his YouTube channel he has a post about how he is basically on a crusade against YouTube channels using his images. I have used 1000s of photos on my channel and usually 100s per video. So I am expected to put 100s of credits in each description box when the original photographers of most of these pics are unknown? Am I expected to ask for permission 200 times per video if I use 200 photos in a video with pics all from different photographers? Why should this one photographer receive special treatment and get credit. If I give him credit I have to give them all credit and that is impossible. He never asked for credit, he just went and filed a copyright claim no warning. I dont make money off of my videos. My use does not affect his business or photography in any negative way. He is on some power trip and expects others to get on their knees and beg and that is not something I will ever do."
Photograph. A large satellite dish on a tall abandoned rooftop against a night sky. Reflection in water pooled on the roof.
Photograph. An outdoor art display on a sidewalk with attached lighting. Flood lights illuminate an abandoned neoclassical building looming overhead. A large plaque reads "Waukegan Building" over the columned entryway.
Photograph. A crumpled can of Schlitz beer in an abandoned, ice-covered shopping mall. Color splash edit on the can and ice reflection.
Poster. the jonrev projects at artwauk [collage of photography by jonrev depicting neon, dead malls, and the Waukegan, Illinois cityscape] Photography exhibits about places of memories, lost history, dead malls, liminal spaces, urban exploration, night lurkings & other crimes of knowledge Waukegan Building • 4 South Genesee Street Waukegan, Illinois • 5-9 PM • Weather permitting jonrev.com for future shows
Photograph. An abandoned JCPenney department store salon reflecting 1980s interior tastes. A mirror-arched entryway with Helvetica signage that reads "Styling Salon". Light from a flashlight shines in mirrors inside the salon, bouncing around to illuminate the full scene.
Postcard view. A single story shopping mall's exterior featuring arched entryways. A long driveway runs the length of the shopping center. From left to right: a mall entrance, a Woolworth store, its Harvest House Cafeteria, and JCPenney at the farthest end.
Photograph. An abandoned single story enclosed shopping mall. Large copper sculpture rises above a drained fountain with dead palm trees felled inside. Vacant shows down a corridor, skylights overhead. Sign reads "Food Court"
Screenshot, Google Street View of 2800 31st St Ensley Birmingham, Alabama. Small vacant building on a triangle lot.
Photograph. Three steak tacos with cheese, rice, squeezed limes, spicy red dip and can of Creamy Coconut Dr Pepper.
Screenshot, YouTube copyright claim submission form. "nostalgic liminal images 2025" by Danny Milian in the queue, timestamps and links to mark jonrev's photography and the source of the original content.
Photograph. A vacant movie theater auditorium. Faux-stained glass mural of a red 1950s Corvette hangs on a purple curtain-covered wall, sunset and hills in the background. Shiny black tile floor, below. Screen on the right. Empty seating on the left.
Photograph. The center court of an abandoned enclosed shopping center, Century III Mall. Two floors of vacant retail stores, a brutalist structure comprised of brick, sheetrock, glass and wood accents. A broken water feature in the center of a carpeted floor, littered with debris. An elevator tower with the car sunken into the pit due to hydraulic loss. Drop ceiling with skylight openings, overhead, revealing the structural trusswork. Colorful stars dangle from the ceiling.
YouTube community post by Danny Milian: Photographer Jon Revelle is trying to destroy this channel. He hit me with a copyright strike for using his photos in a video and he plans to continue to do so on other videos that I made.
Photograph. Entrance to the Rainbow Shores trailer park in Lake Tomahawk, Wisconsin. A trailer park under dense native tree canopies. A Pabst Blue Ribbon privilege sign welcomes you.
Photograph. A Pabst neon sign hangs on a grid panel. Image is inverted in the ground glass of a Mamiya Universal camera while framing the shot.
Polaroid scan. A red and blue Pabst neon sign streaking across the print through an in-camera technique.
Re: Copyright Strike Good luck with the music career.
Re: copyright strike My videos are a parody of your photos and how low quality they are. I dont understand how me using a few of your photos negatively affects your photography or your business. I dont make money from my videos. You did not even have the decency to send me a warning email to take down the video. If you wanted credit you could have given yourself credit in the comments section and I would have pinned your comment. How was I supposed to know your photos are copyrighted? Why dont you go after the redditors that post your photos on reddit? The only other person who has had a problem with me using their photos was some redditor from 6 years ago who also had a similar snarky attitude. How is you trespassing and stealing video tapes and then posting them on youtube irrelevant? You also put a watermark on these videos as if you own them and made them when you did not. You yourself are a criminal and you are targeting me. You are a petty control freak on some power trip. You spend your time looking for videos with your photos in them so you can stroke your own ego by filing copyright claims. Go rot on reddit with the rest of the miserable people on there. You are a miserable prick. You are irrelevant. You are as pathetic as it gets.
Re: Copyright strike Your video titled "nostalgic liminal images 2025" contains 13 photos sourced from my blog and Flickr. I'd rather not spend my weekend submitting claims, please ensure this content is removed by the end of today: May 2, 2026.
Re: Copyright Strike Jeepers. That's a lot of words for "no u". YouTube has licensing agreements with the music industry. Rights holders allow copyrighted music to be used in user-made content. Ads are placed over videos labeled by Content ID, which generate revenue for those entities. You are not dealing with the music industry in this dispute. Exposure on your channel doesn't pay my bills. The Local H tapes were loaned to me directly by the band and rights holder, with permission to digitize and share their contents with members of their own Cold Manor Facebook group. Goofing around in a Max Headroom mask, parodying the culprit of the Max Headroom broadcast signal intrusion of 1987, falls under fair-use being a parody of a parody. All other points are irrelevant. If you think getting permission from photographers to use their work is unreasonable, try finding a copyright attorney dumb enough to take your case.