This collection of photographs shows an obsession with the idea of home. I grew up in a small town called Ames, which has a tight-knit community. Leaving everyone I have ever known to move to a completely different and unfamiliar place. After a short time, there was already a distinct disconnect between those I grew up with and myself. During this transition between places, I have sought the comfort of the home I once knew. I decided to explore the surrounding neighborhoods and small towns of Chicago since I started photographing around Ames over the summer. However, it only led to disappointment as there will never be a replacement for the home I knew. The connections I have aren’t in these unfamiliar communities. I’m torn between feeling misplaced in my hometown and still too unfamiliar with my new environment to call it home. When deciding on photographing houses in these communities, I didn’t know what home is. Home is not a specific place, but instead a feeling of comfort. These images are unsuccessful in finding “home” shown by the closed houses and distant outsider perspective. They instead show the desperation for comfort in a time of significant change in a person’s life.
August - November 2020 Book View Here
