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On September 16th, 2022, Ka released a surprise double album with little warning. The two albums, titled Languish Arts & Woeful Studies, utilize fitting artworks. Stark backdrops of a seemingly abandoned classroom, playing into the overall theme of Ka’s new work as a teacher instead of a preacher. Looking deeper into the accompanying artworks reveals interesting results.
The company that handles the artwork for Languish Arts in particular is handled by Freaktography.com, a company that expertise lays in urban exploring. This idea is that of exploring abandoned structures, stories of a once populated or important structure of architecture, now left behind to be unseen by the general public. Their work explores many structures, from that of churches, hospitals, and schools to name a few.
Artwork for this album in particular can be found under the section on an abandoned school in Buffalo, New York. Instead of the black & white artwork found on the album version, its in full color. Perhaps the color change is supposed to be reminiscent of the dark & depressing concepts Ka captures throughout the album. The company’s artwork also echoes that of Ka’s own work as a photographer, as seen on his Tumblr where he captures his own view of Brooklyn.
The original photograph of Languish Arts
More information can be found on the site’s original blog post, along with more images of the school. Here is an excerpt from the blog:
This now abandoned school in Buffalo is one of 11 former public schools currently sitting vacant. The school closed in 1979, seeing limited stints as an audio/visual center and storage facility afterward.
The school was closed to new students in 1979 and was used as offices and warehouse storage, mostly for the Audio Visual Center. It was closed officially in 2002 and has been abandoned ever since.
In recent years it seeks that a veterans housing organization is eyeing the former school and surrounding land for its latest project that could include up to 50 apartments and 15 townhouses