Artist Statement
The Bridges Between Us
The Bridges Between Us is a photo and interview project that focuses on members of the immigrant rights group Voces de la Frontera, and discusses their experiences and visions for the future. The photos and conversation excerpts are paired together to offer a dual portrait of each individual. The interviews are recorded and transcribed into zines; at the request of those involved, the audio recordings are offline. The zine features all aspects of the project from the portraits, interviews, and landscape photos to paint an image of the subjects who participated. The images are taken with a Rembrandt lighting technique where the soft shadows emphasize the emotions within the subjects. While viewing the portraits, the lack of space between the wall and the image indicates the tone of the project- a lack of grounding lends the ideas of uncertainty in spaces. This was conveyed in most of the interviews, in which many of the individuals chose to use a pseudonym. In addition to name changes, anonymity was protected by facing away from the camera.
Mass media often depicts immigrants through the filter of political propaganda and selective statistics, which has only increased after the last presidential election. I aim to present a humanistic and personal viewpoint: one that highlights the individual experiences, the shared hopes, and worries that bind us all together. In this project I explore how individuals navigate the challenging realities of this new environment while holding on to hope for a better life through a series of portraits and recorded interviews. This project is a celebration of the transformative power of shared experiences that act as bridges that connect us.
