In Photoville, Shipping Containers Get a New Lease of Life

It's fun to take a look at the alternative uses a shipping container can take on from time to time.

With so many of these versatile boxes moving around the world there are plenty of ideas, but the organizers of Brooklyn's Photoville take it to the next level.

The event took to Brooklyn's Pier 5/6 area for its third run this year, ending yesterday with a variety of talks and celebration of its many fine artists. Photoville is an art-photography exhibition housed entirely in repurposed containers, with a dedicated curator and theme assigned to give each one its own unique appeal.

We took a stroll around last Friday to take in the creativity and explore the spaces where industry meets art.

Our collection of photos probably doesn't do justice to the power and emotion of the artistry on show, but it will give you an idea as to why you should give this event a look when it returns next year (and no, it's not just because they have a hybrid container-bar... although it certainly doesn't hurt!)

It was great to catch the introduction booth below, just as an active container shipment thundered past above, on the way to its delivery destination.

Things for a little psychedelic at times... obviously this installation below proved a favorite backdrop for attendees and their potential social media poses.

Inside the double-decker entry booth, the rotating gallery above was undergoing a little routine maintenance before setting back to work. Once a shipping container, always a shipping container!

 This installation blended the creative with the claustrophobic, reminding us that some people are indeed living in the boxes that we take for granted as dedicated to moving products. Of course we appreciate the hardship that many in these circumstances face, but for some container living is literally a life-saver.

(The other - slightly snartky - thought? It being Brooklyn, this could well be how many NYC-based creators choose to live, suffering for their art.)

And what better to to finish up a bright Friday afternoon spent with culture in containers, than with a stop at the container beer garden?

To learn more about the artists and installations at Photoville, visit www.photovillenyc.org..

You can also check out our Instagram and Facebook pages where we'll be sharing more of the pictures this week, and follow those of others with the hashtag #Photoville.