NON-FICTION
DETROIT
ARTIST ’ S STATEMENT
I ’ m Kestrel . I have always had an interest in different forms of visual communication . Photography was something that gave me the ability to capture the hidden stories that I noticed , and convey them to others . We are continually part of a larger story , and taking a photo gives me an opportunity to show a small piece of that story , whether it ’ s a joyful moment in someone ’ s life , or an image that tells the truth of a broken situation . I think there is great art in being able to tell part of a story truthfully , in a way that connects the viewers to the subject . I also believe in photography as a means of healing and giving others worth and dignity . Photography is a skill which has helped me to develop confidence in myself and who God created me to be , when that is something I have greatly struggled with . It is a form of worship for me , and has been something that shapes how I look at the world , and how I view others around me . There is an incredible amount of beauty and truth that can be discovered where we least expect it , if we just shake our perspective a little bit . There is beauty in humanity , even those who do not believe it about themselves . I want to use photography to tell that truth . of a family who has disappeared because of the gang wars , or a child who was killed on Halloween night because their family took the risk to let him go trick-or-treating . The cathedral , once beautiful and funded by a large congregation , now stood empty . The original purpose of this church no longer applied . Instead , beer bottles , condoms , and cigarettes littered the floor and graffiti replaced the walls .
This cathedral no longer felt like a building ; it felt like a victim crying out for redemption and respect .
I came to Detroit hoping to get great pictures of broken down buildings . I journeyed through building after building , excited to find more desolation . I wanted pictures of the abandonment to grace my portfolio and draw attention to my skill . In a way , I wanted to exploit these stories to create art that belonged to me . But to really be part of restorative art means that the weight of it is far more than my own gain . It ’ s about telling the truth with respect to the subject . So how would I display these pictures and what stories would people read in them ? I could display them in the tradition of glamorizing blight , or I could show them in a way that connects others to the pain that has taken place within these buildings . The latter is more difficult , but I can ’ t settle for less . As an artist , I have a responsibility to respond truthfully . These weren ’ t just ruins that I could disengage from because it happened in the past . The exploitation and abandonment is still taking place .
After leaving the church , we were approached by a man asking for money and food for his family . We talked with him , gave him what we could — food , blankets , and some money — then prayed with him . It ’ s hard for me not to feel like such a small action will never be enough in the grand scheme of his life . But it was all we had to offer in that moment . We will never know what happened to him . He had three broken ribs at the time we talked to him ; he had been the victim of many muggings and attacks all from the walks home after trying to find provisions for his family . The economic desperation of Detroit has left some its citizens fighting to survive by whatever means possible .
Walking through Detroit and seeing her bones laid bare beneath our feet felt surreal . It was like we had entered a war zone within the USA . The reason I love photography ,
is the power to bring a person into the lives of the other . A photograph has the power to connect people emotionally with the lives of others . Americans are very good at compartmentalizing things and staying uninvolved when something doesn ’ t directly relate to us . But when art is done well it confronts apathy . It has the ability to create response from one human to the struggles of another human .
These are the photographs I want to be taking . They beg to turn from creating art for personal gain to art that advocates for those who do not have the opportunity to make their own struggles known . Artists have a responsibility to preserve and reveal integrity of the subjects in their work , and prevent subjects from becoming objects . I do not want these pictures to be viewed as something to be complemented because of the composure or lighting . Each photo represents someone ’ s struggles , pain , and joy . Detroit contains a multitude of abandoned buildings , but through the right lens it ’ s also a mosaic of unknown and forgotten stories that need to be told .
We have a responsibility with our art . It is easy to get caught up in the strictly commercial aspect of art . It ’ s simple to use art to bring attention to oneself . But if the creation of this art comes at the exploitation of another ’ s pain , I do not want to be a part of that . Behind a camera , I have the ability to victimize and dehumanize , or to empower and restore dignity . With every photograph there is a choice in how the subject is portrayed . Are they given respect as a fellow human , or turned into an object for the gain of the artist ? I ’ ve begun to think that maybe photography is always a collaboration between the photographer and the subject . No photo ever belongs solely to me , but also to those whose lives are within the frame as well . ◆
EDITORS NOTE When talking ( or writing ) about Detroit it ’ s difficult to do so with adequate nuance . Often , we focus only on the good or the bad , the poverty or the resurgence of commerce , and what gets lost is the reality that Detroit is a complicated city with a simultaneously tragic and beautiful history . We hope you hold that tension delicately as you read this article . Thank you .
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