WDC: 8 x 10
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THE PROJECT
In January 2005, I received a grant from the D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities to photograph in 8 parks throughout the city.  My plan was to choose one park in each ward and, through conversations with park visitors, capture the presence of the park. By focusing on one public space in each ward, I aimed to document the places throughout the city where community members come together. During the spring and summer, I spent countless hours in parks throughout DC and eventually focused on the following parks: Malcolm X/Meridian Hill Park (Ward 1), Dupont Circle (Ward 2), Fletcher’s Boat House (Ward 3), Emery Recreation Center (Ward 4), Ivy City Neighborhood (Ward 5), New York Avenue Center (Ward 6), Watts Branch (Ward 7), & Barry Farms (Ward 8).  Some of these locations, I had visited throughout my childhood.  Others became favorite places in my early adulthood.  Yet others, I had never been to before. Throughout my many trips, I began to realize the similarities in each park- activities and symbols I didn’t expect to see at different locations.  I also noticed the differences- some subtle and others blatant.  Yet this series is about far more than politics, similarities, and differences throughout the neighborhood.  The project is a social portrait of the city and through that, it is about giving voice to people of Washington.

THE PROCESS
I wanted to come into the parks with equipment that was affordable and accessible.  On my first park visit, I shot with a Holga camera.  The Holga is a medium-format camera made entirely out of plastic.  Light leaks are unpredictable and focus is often a guessing game.  The challenge of shooting with the Holga was new and exciting.  Furthermore, the negative sizes were ideal for printing at 8x10.  I began to love the subtleties that the camera produces- places where the film wasn’t exposed properly or where light leaked in or the soft focus.  I also discovered the people were far less distracted by- or even intimidated- by the Holga and I felt able to shoot more freely than in the past with other cameras.  As I did not want to be viewed as a complete outsider, shooting in the parks involved interacting with the community.  I chatted with adults and youth, played basketball with families, pushed kids on the swings, let kids play with my camera, and got involved in whatever ways I could during my visits.  Finally, due to the lens restrictions, the camera pushed me to get closer.  In order to capture a moment, I had to be in the moment.  I could not be an outsider.

THE PRESENTATION
The final obstacle was deciding how to present the work.  I was concerned that a framed photograph behind glass would isolate each piece of work from the series.  Through conversations with local artists, I decided to mount the photographs on 8x10 wood plaques using an acid-free Positionable Mounting Adhesive (PMA).  The final result creates a flow from each piece to enforce the concept of an entire series. The photographs were printed by hand in my darkroom on Ilford RC paper.  They are printed almost full-frame (as close to full-frame prints as possible to keep to the 8x10 dimensions).  Each print is made in an edition of 1, with one artist proof.  Any future editions of this series will be printed in a different size and will not be mounted onto wood.  Each piece will be signed on the backside of the wood upon sale.

UPDATE
Each of the 64 images from the series is available in a limited edition of 12 prints. This editioned is printed on 11" x 14" paper with an image size of roughly 9" x 11.25". The prints are window-mated to 16" x 20" acid-free mat board.

France - WDC: 8 x 10 - Hiroshima/Nagasaki - Calls for Justice - From the Streets - Editioned Prints