It has been a long hot summer.
I set out at the beginning of summer to catalog each
city-owned residential vacant lot here in Buffalo, NY. Almost 20,000 images
later I have to concede that this task will be impossible to accomplish. I
still have not been able to get an accurate list form the city of their
property, and even if I had it, the city is still tearing down houses. I saw
several demolitions in progress over the last two weeks. In spite of the
hurdles by my last count I have photographed approximately 3200 vacant
lots. Until the city stabilizes
this project would be unending but I had to pick a stoping point and August 31st was it.
I have walked the East side with and assistant or alone. I
was not shot, (although my car was shot by a paint ball) robbed or raped; I
was however offered drugs. I meet many
interesting residents who still take pride in their neighborhoods but have lost
faith in city government. What I witnessed there has shaped my project in ways
I did not foresee.
Over the next couple months I will be using the data I have
collected to create a photo book, a slide show with sound, an exhibition of
photographs, and a learning lab.
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