LaToya Ruby Frazier’s work in “Landscape of the Body” shows
haunting images of Frazier’s impoverished hometown. She grew up in the suburbs
of Pittsburgh, in a town called Braddock. The population of Braddock has
decreased by 90 percent since it’s height of success, which was in the
twenties. Braddock was a flourishing steel town, home to Andrew Carnegie’s
first steel mill. The town is doing so poorly now, the one hospital they have
(that Frazier features in one of her photos) actually closed down in 2010.
“Born by a River” was organized by curator of the Seattle
Art Museum Sandra Jackson-Durmont. The show functions on three levels; large
color aerial photographs, small black and whites and portraits. The large color
aerial shots are taken from a helicopter and represent Braddock from a
distance. The smaller black and white shots show broken land and buildings and
the portraits show the private life of Frazier and her family. She has three
generations of relatives who have lived in Braddock.
I chose this image and this series because of the truth I
saw in the photographs instantly (also because I’m kind of obsessed with
shooting my nanny). The black and white choice also seems to add another level
of truth, and it makes me think that color might have almost been taken away
because it could’ve distracted from the main point of the pictures which is the
damaged spirit of this town.
Each picture is explicitly clear about what it’s trying to
convey, whether that’s deterioration, a feeling of being deserted, or on a more
positive note, a new generation. This photo shows the clutter in the
grandmothers house that she lives with, and I think its meant to signify the
mess of the state that this town is now in, with old relics, like how the towns
pride mainly lies in its past.
I think this image on its own is definitely impactful, but I
got much more out of it once I learned about the series it was in. I think it’s
much more powerful when you realize that it can actually signify a lot of
Frazier’s hometown.
http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/21/born-by-a-river-watching-the-change/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
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