MIGRATION, Lost and Found in America

You might as well pour yourself a second cup of coffee as this post sends you on a photographic journey across America. Photographer and musician Donald McCrea has created an amazing book and CD that will be released today. MIGRATION, Lost and Found in America, is an exploration of America through photography and Music. The book features the images of sixteen photographers, who have all made it their life’s work to document our vast and varied land. All the photographers featured below are American Masters and their websites will allow you to experience America through their lenses.



MIGRATION takes you on the road and discovers hidden pockets of American culture, both old and new. The book also touches on many of the topical issues that face this nation today. Starting in New York City and wending our way down through post-Katrina New Orleans, we then head across the plains and out through the American West, as we contemplate where we’ve been and where we are headed. The journey ends in Los Angeles and stares directly into the future as we struggle to revitalize our economy and deal with our dependence upon oil, all the while attempting to repair the damage done to our environment.

The tracks that Donald McCrea has written for this project draw from many of the classic genres that have made American music so uniquely original. Utilizing a recording band made up of stellar San Francisco musicians, these songs form our soundtrack as we make this migration though American culture.

MIGRATION is available on Amazon and through MWP. After November 23, the CD will be available on itunes and on CDbaby.

Ridge &, Fairmount, Philadelphia, PA, 2002 © 2010 Will Steacy


Repent, Slab City, Niland, CA © 2010 Mark Indig


On the Nickel, Los Angeles, CA, 1980 ©2010 Donald McCrea


Nebraska Tractor and Combine, Randolph, NE, 2007 © 2010 Kenneth Jarecke


Jet Engines, Tuscon, AZ, 2006 ©Edward Burtynsky
image provided by Hasted Hunt Kraeutler Gallery, New York, and Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto


Zulu Beads, New Orleans, 2007 © 2010 William Greiner


The Unfortunate Result of the Demise of the Public Phone Booth © 2010 Susana Raab


Texas Pool Hall, Honey Grove, TX, 2008 © 2010 David Zaitz


Texas Iraq, 2006 ©2010 Peter Granser


Isolated Building Study 73, Chicago, IL, 2007 © 2010 David Schalliol


In Perspective, Bonneville Salt Flats, NV, 2005, © 2010 Jerry Downs


House Facing Grain Elevators, Claytonville, IL, 2007 © Dave Jordano


Express Train, New York, NY, 2008 © 2010 Travis Ruse


Corral, Western Sierra, CA, 2008 ©2010 Joe Burull


Blue Night, Chicago, Il, 2008 ©2010 Bill Sosin


Bialquin Pachecho's House, Vallecito, NM, 1982 ©2010 Alex Harris

Lenscratch Exhibition Opportunities

Lenscratch will be creating exposure opportunities for photographers with group on-line exhibitions. Photographers will be allowed ONE entry per exhibition and all photographs will be published.

Submission Guidelines:
Image size: 72dpi at 1000px on the long side
Send name, title, location, and link to your work (website or other)
In the subject of your e-mail, type the name of the exhibition (FAMILY, etc) and e-mail to:
alinesmithson@yahoo.com
If your images are sized incorrectly or the submission is incomplete, they will not be posted.

Submission Categories and Due Dates:

Due Date: November 14th
Send one image that best represents your idea of FAMILY. Post will run on Thanksgiving

image of family by Aline Smithson


Due Date: December 27th
Send your FAVORITE image that you took in 2010. Post will run on New Year's Day

Due Date: March 17th
Send one image that best represents LUCK. Post will run on St. Patrick's Day

Due Date: April 25th
Send your favorite SELF PORTRAIT. Post will run on May 1st

San Francisco World Photography Festival

Coming up next month is the only American stop on the World Photo Festival tour. This year, it takes place in San Francisco (in addition to Shanghai, Sao Paulo, and London) on Thursday, November 18th-Sunday, November 21st. There are workshops, lectures, portfolio reviews, and exhibitions. There are also a number of competitions that are part of the event. If you are on the west coast or planning that Thanksgiving vacation, San Francisco might be the place to be.




Schedule:
Thursday, November 18th Opening Night Party
View the exhibitions and meet the international and local photography community, during an evening of cocktails
and canapés. Opening night of the Sony World Photography Awards 2010

Friday, November 19th
Workshop
10.30 – 13.00
The Book - Day 1
A three-part workshop to learn the skills to prepare, compile and design a photography book.*This is an extra cost event / pre-registration required.

Talk
10.45 – 11.45
Planning an Exhibition
Veteran exhibition curators, Deborah Willis and Zelda Cheatle explore the many facets of planning of a photography exhibition; choosing a theme, editing the work, raising funds and selecting the right venue.

Talk
12.00 – 13.15
The Future of Book Publishing - presented by Blurb Books
Eileen Gittins, CEO of Blurb books, talks to photographersDaniel Milnor and Andy Katz about self- publishing books vs. working with a publisher.

Talk
14.00 – 15.15
“iStockphoto presents” The New Business of Photography
An introduction to microstock; how the industry has changed over the last decade, the difference between microstock and
traditional RF, RM Strategies, and a contemporary discussion about how to market yourself as an independent photographer. iStock offers tips on ‘shooting-for-stock’ - integrating stock into your photography career, what makes a great stock image and what does not!

Talk
15.45 – 17.00
The San Francisco Photography Scene
Meg Shiffler, Director and Curator of the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery, leads a panel discussion with fellow local industry leaders. Shiffler is joined by Thom Sempre (Executive Director of PhotoAlliance), Chuck Mobley (Head Curator of SF Camerawork), and photographer RJ Muna. Find out who they are, what they do and how to get involved within your local San Francisco photo community.

Studio Shoot / Workshop
16.00 – 18.00
iStockphoto Guerilla Station
The iStockphoto team invites you all to join a live shoot, for
a challenging, fun and educational opportunity. Anticipate a
fully art- directed photoshoot with models and studio lighting.
(Location to be announced)

Workshop
17.00 – 19.30
The Portfolio Seminar and Workshop: A Photographer’s Most Important Asset
Learn how to create an outstanding portfolio in this intensive workshop. Whether you are a commercial, documentary and/ or fine art photographer, industry experts across all sectors of the business, offer tips and share their knowledge. See full details and helpful tips on how to prepare for this
workshop here Portfolio Workshop. Once you have registered for this workshop, you will receive the list of experts to choose
from. *This is an extra cost event / limited tickets available.

Talk, Book Signing and Wine Tasting
17.30 – 18.30
The Sony Artisans Series: Andy Katz presents Sonoma Photography has taken Andy Katz around the world. Andy presents his newest book Sonoma and shares his journey through photography.


Saturday, November 20th

Workshop
10.30 – 13.00
The Book - Day 2
Part two of this three-day workshop. *This is an extra cost event / pre-registration required.

Talk
10.30 – 12.00
The Power of New Media, A Seminar - The future of photography and video
Pulitzer prize winning photographer, Deanne Fitzmaurice leads this discussion on how multimedia is changing the landscape of traditional photography. Joined by Antonin Kratochvil, Scott Thode and David McLain, Deanne explores the impact of new delivery technology on photography and considers the new opportunities created by the internet, iPads, smart phones and new video-capable DSLR cameras, which are breaking traditional boundaries of photography.

Talk
12.30 – 14.00
“iStockphoto presents” Post Processing with Nik Software.
Tony Corbell, we will provide attendees with training on how to increase picture quality - quickly and with ease. A seminar to learn creative ways to improve stock and all photography: enhance color, add drama, develop and improve your workflows and create more amazing imagery with the Nik Software Product Suite.

Reviews
14.00 – 16.30
The Portfolio Sessions
A photographer’s most important marketing tool. Come and show your portfolio to experts in the photo industry, from curators, gallery owners, book publishers, established photographers magazine and newspaper editors who will offer
constructive critique and advice. *This is an extra cost event / limited tickets available.

Talk
14.30 – 17.00
The Sony Artisans Series
Acclaimed editorial, commercial and National Geographic Photographer, David McLain leads a workshop on combining still photography with video and illustrates how a photographer’s work can reach new audiences.

Studio
14.30 – 17.00
iStockphoto: Guerilla Station
The iStockphoto team invite you all to join a live shoot, for a challenging, fun and educational opportunity. Anticipate a fully art- directed photoshoot with models and studio lighting. (Location to be announced)

Talk
17.30 – 19.30
Student Focus - A crash course on the industry
A panel of experts, from young photographers to veteran professionals working as picture editors, agents and curators outline the different career paths and ways to succeed in this business.

Book Signing at SF Camerawork
Saturday 20th November
17.00 – 17.45
Elliott Erwitt & Ken Light
Be one of the first to pick up these renowned photographers brand new books. Celebrated Magnum photographer, Elliott Erwitt new book ‘PARIS’ is sure to transport to this magical city. With a keen eye for the real city, Erwitt sees beyond the tourist clichés. Whether themightiest of monuments or the charm of la vie quotidienne, this master photographer chronicles it all. Alternating intimate details with grand vistas, Erwitt captures the true flavor of la metropole.
‘Witness in our Time’ and ‘Coal Hollow!’ are the newest books by beloved social documentary photographer Ken Light. ‘Witness in Our Time’ gives readers a rare glimpse into the minds of some of the most talented contemporary documentary photographers and provides personal accounts by photographers such as Sebastião Salgado, Mary Ellen Mark and Eugene Richards. *Please note that this event is at SF Camerawork Gallery on 657 Mission Street.

Talk at SF Camerawork
18.00 – 19.00
In the Photographers Studio
Ken Light in conversation with world-renowned photographer Elliott Erwitt. *Please note that this event is at SF Camerawork Gallery on 657 Mission Street.

Book Signing at SF Camerawork
19.00 – 21.00
“A Dangerously CuriousEye”, an exhibition and book launch. *Please note that this event is atSF Camerawork Gallery on 657
Mission Street.


Sunday November 21, 2010

Talk
10.30 – 12.00
Marketing & Commercializing Seminar
Identify how to succeed as a photographer within your local and international markets. A panel of industry experts review a photographer’s instrumental assets such as a website, awards a portfolio and the range of styles needed to commercialize and broaden their work.

Workshop
11.00 – 13.30
The Book - Day 3
Part three of this three-day workshop. Pre-registration required to participate in this workshop. *This is an extra cost event / limited tickets available.

Talk
12.30 – 14.00
Photojournalism Roundtable
Documentary Photographer and founder of Fotovision, Melanie Light leads this panel of photographers, agents, magazine and newspaper picture editors, in exploring the photojournalism industry today. Together they will discuss how photojournalists can succeed in this highly competitive field, covering topics such as the pros and cons of working with an agency, as a freelancer or part of a collective; the growing demand for video-journalism; how to commercialize your work as a photojournalist.

Book Signing
13.30 – 14.30
Elliott Erwitt
If you missed the signing on Saturday night, don’t miss out again!

Talk
14.30 – 16.30
The Sony Artisans Series
Celebrity portraitist Brian Smith will share the lessons he’s learned over the past 30 years as a top magazine portrait photographer capturing the faces of the famous, infamous and un-famous. He will discuss his approach to editorial and commercial assignments from concept to final images, detailing his approach to lighting and problem solving on productions both large and small.

Talk
15.00 – 16.00
iStockphoto STUDENT Seminar - An Introduction to Stock Photography
An introduction to microstock and the stock photography industry. Addressing the end- to-end process of shooting stock starting with an overview of licensing and legal requirements including releases and permissions, working with models, lighting, technical quality and uploading to iStock. Includes recommendations and strategies including editing, addressing technical elements, effective key wording and archiving.

Reviews
15.00 – 16.30
The Portfolio Sessions
A photographer’s most important marketing tool. Come and show your portfolio to experts in the photo industry, from curators, gallery owners, book publishers, established photographers magazine and newspaper editors who will offer constructive critique and advice. Once you have registered for this workshop, you will receive the list of experts to choose
from. *This is an extra cost event / limited tickets available.

Studio / Workshop
16.00 – 18.00
iStockphoto: STUDENT Guerilla Station
The iStockphoto team invite you all to join a live shoot, for a challenging, fun and educational opportunity. Anticipate a fully art- directed photoshoot with models and studio lighting. (Location to be announced)

Participating Experts:
Elliott Erwitt Magnum Photographer
Scott Thode Editor of VII The Magazine and Co-Curator of the 2011 LOOK3
Photo Festival in Charlottesville, Virginia
Meg Shiffler Director/Curator, San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery
Antonin Kratochvi VII Photographer
Ken Light Social Documentary Photographer
Thom Sempre Executive Director of PhotoAlliance
Judy Dater Photographer
Deanne Fitzmaurice Pulitzer Prize Winning Photographer
Stuart Smith Founder & Director of SMITH Design
Zelda Cheatle Curator and Portfolio Manager at Tosca Photography Fund
Deborah Willis Ph.D. University Professor, Chair, Department of Photography
& Imaging, New York University - Tisch School of the Arts
Andy Katz Sony Artisan Photographer
Brian Smith Sony Artisan Photographer
David McLain Sony Artisan Photographer
Eileen Gittins Founder and CEO, Blurb
Daniel Milnor Photographer
Darcy Padilla Photographer and Instructor of Documentary Photography at
SFAI
Jessica Ingram Assistant Professor, Undergraduate Photography and Graduate
Fine Arts, California College of the Arts
Chuck Mobley Head Curator SF Camerawork
RJ Muna Multi-Award Winning Photographer
Kathleen Hennessy Activist Award Director for PhotoPhilantropy
Monique Deschaines Director of Communications and Design, Haines Gallery,
San Francisco
Rhiannon MacFadyen Managing Director of Catharine Clark Gallery, San
Francisco

Lottie Davies

British photographer, Lottie Davies, seems to do it all and do it well. She's an editorial photographer for newspapers, magazines, books and advertising; she's a photo journalist focusing on lesser-known communities and on ethno-political issues, putting forward a sharply critical view of contemporary Western complacency, with a desire to illuminate the lives of those often overlooked. Her fine art photography is concerned with stories and personal histories, the tales and myths we use to structure our lives: memories, life-stories, beliefs. She takes inspiration from classical and modern painting, cinema and theatre as well as the imaginary worlds of literature.

My project 'Memories and Nightmares' is concerned with making images inspired by narratives of individual experiences, both real and fictional. At the beginning of 2008 I asked several of my friends to send me written accounts of early childhood memories or nightmares and have discovered a rich vein of fascinating stories.

We all have our own tales and myths which we use to tell our lives. In many ways, memories are an essentially human experience, and over the years they can change; for instance, an early childhood memory will be retold and re-remembered, and the way one person describes an event may be different to others' memory of it. In recounting nightmares, some people remember a clear narrative, others only a particular feeling or location. And of course the surreal or impossible elements of the dream, which at the time of dreaming seem entirely logical, are often the most fascinating. Our memories are part of the collection of human stories, and by using them as inspiration for these images I hope to celebrate them and encourage us to tell us more about ourselves.


Viola As Twins
It's a very sunny, positive atmosphere. Viola (my three year old) runs up to me with her arms open wide, calling "mummy, mummy", a big smile across her face. As she gets closer another Viola coming from behind her does exactly the same thing. The whole atmosphere shifts, turning the dream into a nightmare. I'm left speechless, wondering who the second girl is and, by the same token, if the first one is really my little girl at all.

Another, very brief dream; Viola's there again, happy and smiling. She's blonde with blue eyes (in real life and in the dream). Then suddenly another little girl appears. In the dream I know her to be Viola too, but this second girl is dark, with green eyes, also very pretty. They both behave like I'm their mummy but don't seem to notice one another. I feel like something's wrong, then I realize I can't remember having had twins. I don't know who my daughter is.


The River
England is still pagan, but the priests and their armies are arriving from overseas to forcibly convert the population to Christianity. I'm a priestess and, whereas everyone else submits to conversion to protect themselves - while secretly holding to the old beliefs - I can't. The priests crucify me.

Later in the dream, I'm being taken in a boat by the chief priest down a river, sleepy, medium flowing, smooth water, with overhanging trees. It's not raining or sunny, a greyish day. My daughter is with me - she's about 9. (It's the first time I ever have a child in a dream). The priest, now away from public gaze, is groping me and I submit (the narratorial sense of the dream enjoys the irony of the celibate, church militant, man of god groping a woman as soon as he gets a chance).

Before I was killed, my daughter was left with her secret, real, non-Christian name which she mustn't use any more but mustn't forget. As she floats down the river near the bank, trailing her hand in the water, she reaches up under an overhanging bit of vegetation. There's an old brick wall or stony bank and she finds the hidden carving of her mother crucified - she looks at it, tracing the marking with her hand - it's one of our religion's secret places. People have submitted to Christianity, but won't forget their true beliefs. I die in this dream and later I'm both alive and have already died.


The Girl and the Tower
My most memorable nightmare is an old one. I think I was 10-11 or something. My parents were divorced, and I missed my dad a lot. I was told that I had to kill a girl, whom I didn't know, or they (someone) would kill my dad. I took a big knife and started to climb the stairs of a very high, round, old tower. It had stonewalls and it was dark and a bit wet inside. It took a long time to climb, every step was so hard. On the top was a wooden door, which I opened and went inside a room. There was a bed there and the girl was sleeping in it. I sitting or standing over her and raised the knife over my head. Just when I moved the knife towards her chest with great force, I realised that the girl was me. I couldn't stop the movement. I woke up just when the knife touched my chest. My mum came running, because I had screamed very loud... I cried for hours, because the feeling was really awful. And I can still feel it, so when I now write about it, I almost start crying again.


The Day My Brother Was Born
One of my earliest memories is from the day my brother was born, 14th December 1973. I am running down a corridor in a hospital, and to my right I can see a playroom with a dapple-grey rocking horse in the far corner. Usually I'd have gone straight in because the rocking horse was my dream toy, but I carried on running, thinking "I'll go back and play later". My mother remembers hearing me shout at the top of my voice as I was running; "I'm going to see my mummy!"


The Frozen Lake
About 1944/45. Being taken skating on ice, sitting in a chair on ice skates, whizzing round a frozen lake. In Simla, northern India. Hearing about a man whose face had been torn off by a bear. About same date and place. Sewing my embroidery onto a sofa arm. In Jhelum, a bit later.


The Red Devil
I'll borrow Scarlett's red devil. She said she could see it in the corner of the room, it was scary but never harmed her. The Indian dreamcatcher nets were essential for safe sleeping.


Sophie in Florida
My first memory is when friends of my parents gave me and Katherine nighties which said 'I Don't Want To Go To Bed' in punky 'cool' graffitti writing on the front. Mine was pale pink. This being the 80s, they were 100% polyester and the memory I have is discovering that if you rubbed the fabric against itself under the duvet, it made sparks which you could see in the dark. Another memory of this nightie I have is walking around the neighbourhood in Florida where we were on holiday on Christmas Eve in the dark, with my parents, looking at all the Christmas trees and the lights. This was a huge treat - both being outside in the dark and wearing your night-clothes!


The Blue Bedroom
I remember my bedroom when I was about - who knows, 3 or 4 - and early in the morning when it was still half light I could see my dad getting his ties out of the closet in the hall. I would watch him in silence through the crack in the door as he got ready for work.


Quints
Bizarre nightmare: Had so many so I'll give the one I had two nights ago... I was pregnant with quintuplets, and this was scary as I didn't want any more kids (having a 10 and 13 year old already and I am 42 so too old, and not physically strong enough either), and I had to convince my midwife (who has retired) to be with me throughout the pregnancy and birth, as she had been with my other kids. Then when the quintuplets were born I was worried about the size of vehicle we now needed, as most people carriers are for 7 and we needed room for 8. How was I going to park that in London as easily as the small car we had already?! I wasn't able to pursue my career, and my husband had to give up his music career to help care for the babies. So, would our relationship suffer? How would our 10 and 13 year old cope? Where would the finance come from? Would they have to become show babies like the French-Canadians in the 1950's (I think) who had the state looking after their septruplets), and the mother had restricted access to her babies? I then woke up, rather bemused!

René Clement

Imagine being an immigrant and stumbling upon a place that feels like home. That's what happened to Dutch photographer, René Clement, who had been living in New York City and happened upon a small town in Iowa. When I first passed through Orange City, Iowa, in 2004 I had the strangest experience. I had unexpectedly found myself in a small town peppered with windmills, houses with Dutch stair-step gable fronts and an abundance of tulips. And since it was a Sunday, there was not a living soul to be seen on the streets of this small community guided by an unshakable Dutch Reformed tradition. My curiosity was peaked. What’s going on here?

René returned to Orange City, Iowa for 5 years, creating an amazing body of work, Promising Land. I am compelled to share way too many images because they are, quite simply, wonderful. Rene is also hoping to bring this body of work into book form, and is using Kickstarter to raise funds for publishing. Personally, I think this work is a very good investment and you can receive a signed book for a 50$ donation.



When I returned to New York, I did my research and learned that Dutch immigrants had founded this Iowa town in 1870. They had come from the Dutch settlement of Pella, Iowa, in search of promising land whose fertile soil would enable them to grow crops and make a viable living. By 1936, the people of Orange City began to fear they were losing their Dutch cultural identity, and in response started an annual Tulip Festival to celebrate their national roots. Today this festival has grown into a three-day fair, replete with parades, a thousand volunteers decked out in traditional costume, and a mix of Dutch culinary treats that mingle with the smell of hamburgers on the grill. Online, I was transfixed by fascinating pictures of people in traditional costume walking the streets; it felt as if a classic Dutch-master painting had been brought to life on the great plains of the United States.

As a Dutch immigrant myself, I am used to the assimilation that takes place when people born and raised in the Netherlands live outside the country of their birth. In metropolitan New York, there is no Dutch parade along Fifth Avenue, nor is there a Dutch neighborhood in one of the boroughs. We tend to take our cultural heritage largely for granted. I am fascinated by the fact that there is a Dutch cultural stronghold in the northwest corner of Iowa where people not only cherish and celebrate their heritage, but have embraced their roots to the point of creating a Dutch pilgrimage experience for the 150,000 annual visitors to the Orange City Festival. Naturally my discovery of Orange City led me to think more about my own identity as an immigrant, and to pose broader questions such as: How important are your roots? How do cultural influences shape individual identity? What happens when people share a common cultural legacy?



I began this project by making a series of portraits in the tradition of the Dutch master painters, drawing upon their use of soft light and stark, black backgrounds. In a makeshift studio I set up along the parade route, I invited people in costume to have their portraits taken. Because I wanted to honor my subjects’ desire to connect with their Dutch ancestry, I emphasized traits many of them held in common - blond hair and blue eyes, similar facial structure, and a timeless confidence reflected in their collective gaze. With one foot firmly planted in the past, I began to search out contemporary elements to also ground my subjects outside the Netherlands and in the here-and-now.



As I pondered this series of portraits, I began thinking that these photographs possibly depicted a troupe of actors ready to assume their position on stage. In reaction to the period-piece elements of the portraits I had already created, I began a series of landscapes in which I took my subjects out of the studio environment and put them, still in costume, straight into modern life, smack in the middle of American culture. I wondered: what would Orange City look like if its inhabitants had clung fiercely to the past, much like the Amish or the Hutterites? I borrowed my inspiration heavily from American popular culture, drawing especially on the American movies and music I had known as a child in Holland. The result has two distinct threads - Dutch and American cultures fused together AND these same cultures in direct conflict with one another. Although I staged all the landscapes, my aim was to create an alternate reality in an almost-documentary style. I hoped the viewer would be curious enough to further investigate my fictitious reality, and be encouraged to see the real world in a slightly different way.

















I have been working on this project for almost 5 years, returning to Orange City approximately ten times since first stumbling upon it in 2004. What began as an accidental meander through an unknown town has grown into a love relationship – a love not only for my photography project, but equally important is the love I have developed for this town and its citizenry. In the process of meeting people and hearing their stories, I have been adopted by an Orange City family who keep me real, honest and feed my imagination with questions and possibilities.

The result? A series of photographs that allows me to tell a story and express my experiences, obsessions and fantasies. I like to think that this project contains two qualities I hold dear – humor and mutual respect. Many of my photographs poke fun at the subjects and the setting I have intentionally placed them in. But my fun is always good-spirited, and my subjects are inevitably in on the joke.

Images from Landscapes

James Griffioen

As with Tim Hyde's work that showcases nature reclaiming itself, James Griffioen's series, Feral Houses, speaks to a lost neighborhood that is also being reclaimed by nature. James lives in Detroit and much of his work explores the city, it's people and it's architecture, through his documentary and fine art projects.

In 2006, James walked away from a career as a successful securities lawyer at a large San Francisco law firm and moved his family to downtown Detroit, where he no longer practices law but instead spends his days taking care of his two children and taking photographs. He publishes a blog about his life in Detroit called Sweet Juniper.

His photos have appeared in Harper's, Vice, Time, New York, Re:public (Sweden), Landscape Architecture and many other publications. He has been featured on America Public Media’s The Story, CBC’s Arts Program Q, NPR’s On the Media and CNN as well as The Chicago Tribune, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.

Feral Houses:
Feral means reversion to a wild state, as from domestication. It comes from the Latin root fera, for wild beast, but it also has a connection to another Latin word, feralis, literally belonging to the dead. Though it is usually used to describe animals, I have wondered if feral couldn't also be used to describe certain houses here in Detroit. For a few beautiful months every summer, some of the tens of thousands of abandoned houses become feral in every sense: they disappear behind ivy or the untended shrubs and trees planted generations ago to decorate their yards.



As the city of Detroit disappears, nature is flourishing. I am interested in the duplicity of plant life in Detroit as both blindly innocent and somehow deeply sinister. The two feral houses selected here stood within three blocks of the border between Detroit and the old-money suburbs of Grosse Pointe: more than a municipal border it is one of race, class and social order. In Grosse Pointe, meticulously groomed and maintained ivy walls of homes and institutions are a symbol of social elitism. In Detroit, ivy also flourishes as a symbol of the indomitable spirit of nature.