The Other Brownstones

The Projects have always been looked down upon, not only by those who live in circumstances they deem to be better but also by the people who live in these spaces. This not only affects the physical environment, but also the people that reside in them. As obscure as these spaces can be, there is more to them than just poverty and violence.

The Projects of Fort Greene were originally built in 1944 to serve the housing needs of employees at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Coach Ron, one of the subjects featured, actually started living in Fort Greene due to that as his father served in the military leading him to move to the neighborhood. At the present moment, the projects are owned by NYCHA who provide affordable housing.

Being born and raised in the Bricks of Fort Greene, I can attest to the amount of diversity that comes out of the hood. Life can come off as rough when you’re from a place that seemingly everyone is so eager to be free of. Yet for me, there were always things about my surroundings that I felt I could get nowhere else in the world. As an artist, this has allowed me to romanticize the subtle things in life that others tend to ignore. In this work, I use wide angle lenses to grasp a better sense of environment, while occasionally using a standard zoom lens for portraiture to cater to each subject with intimacy.

Majority of the work is made with 35mm film to showcase the importance of people featured. I truly felt that each individual and their story was worth the intention of every frame. That intention made me understand the individuality of the subjects and capture their essence appropriately. The people and voices in these communities are consistently overlooked and unheard. At the core, I use my medium to cater to these voices that have been neglected. I aim to engage the viewer to feel a strong sense of familiarity with the images and to become more conscious of the circumstances of this environment.