BOSTON “FLOODLIGHT NEIGHBORS”
Caroline Canata
My series “Floodlight Neighbors” is an exploration of the neighborhoods and community of Boston. I wished to emulate the simultaneous sense of connection and alienation that we feel towards the strangers we live in close proximity to. Originally, my aim with this series was to document Boston’s recovery from the pandemic, and return to pre-covid normality.
However, upon reflection, I realised the Boston I unearthed was not just healing, but constantly changing to adapt to the new circumstances of the past few years. Consequently, I aimed to use simple photographic techniques, to capture the practicality of this day-to-day survival. Using only a Nikon 90 camera and the sharp shadows of winter, I composed my images. Although I have lived in this city for 19 years, “Floodlight Neighbours” has allowed me to explore it on a deeper level. At the start of this series, I was extremely anxious to take photos in public, afraid of invading the personal space of others.
I would over-analyze an environment and be hypersensitive to any disruption of my shots, unable to embrace the art of dynamic street photography. However, with time and practice, my series taught me to leave behind my worries, and study a landscape without personal inhibitions. This experience was a catalyst for my better perception of a city's darkest elements, such as drug addiction and mob violence, as well as its bravest elements, such as its youth and art. My series, “Floodlight Neighbors,” attempts to neutrally capture these elements, using simplistic black and white geometry that structures and illuminates the core of the Boston, unembellished and true.
This article first appeared in PRISMA, Issue 4.