The Wake

This past September I moved to my fourth house in three years. I’ve never really had a sense of community. I’ve lived in Dinkytown, South East Como and for a semester, the East End of London. That short stay in London was the closest I’ve ever felt to belonging somewhere, but even then I was an outsider. Five months ago I moved into a home in Ventura Village. Cramped between Hiawatha, I-94 and 35W, it is a community that lost its identity when it was cut off after the construction of I-94. This Franklin Avenue community was once adjoined by Elliot Park, Whittier and the Stevens communities. From the 1960s onwards it lost its identity across seventeen lanes of traffic and became a derelict and dangerous neighborhood as it, then a part of Phillips, struggled through white flight. In 2002 it became its own community and has witnessed a sort of renaissance.

Attending the caucus on Super Tuesday, I documented this community voting together. I had never seen any of these faces, but I became intrigued. I now picture these images as a part of a larger, ongoing piece, reflecting a community that has struggled for so long to stay afloat and now has to deal with the foreclosure crisis. I have many questions to ask, but for now I’ll show you a neighborhood together.