Unbuilding Here - The Travel Grant

UNBUILDING HERE GRAFT 2019 Travel Fellowship

UNBUILDING HERE

The question I desire to answer is: what causes people divided by an issue to become friends? I propose to artistically capture stories where walls of divide have been overcome by two people of differing views. For the UNBUILDING WALLS Travel Fellowship I will capture portraits and stories of people who despite being divided (by political views, religion, socio-economic status, etc.) have become friends who respect and care for each other.

I will interview people of various races, education levels and locations capturing that while many walls remain, some people are unbuilding walls today. Through these stories, I will discover and display what led to the transformative unbuilding of their dividing wall using an online photojournalism exhibit.

In 2018, I traveled to the Venice Biennale to see GRAFT Architecture’s UNBUILDING WALLS exhibit at the German pavilion. Standing among the towering black rectangles reminiscent of sections of the Berlin wall, I was deeply impacted, imaging how unmovable the Wall must have felt. Not only physically, but mentally and socially. The hope for the world lies in our ability to join together despite differences. My proposed project will document and display unbuilding of walls across the U.S. READ MORE ABOUT THE INSPIRATION HERE.

Details:

Across the U.S., I will partner with local non-profit organizations (NGO) already unbuilding walls. This could be related to increasing acceptance of immigrants in a community, peace and reconciliation between religions, changing negative perceptions of people experiencing homelessness, etc.

In partnership with these organizations, I will find and interview people to gather stories encompassing three plot points: the “wall” dividing two people, how the barrier was overcome, and the transformation of those involved.

I still have room for a few more partners, please contact me if you are interested. I will be journey through the following locations:

San Diego, CA
Phoenix, AZ
Tucson, AZ
San Antonio, TX 
New Orleans, LA
Jackson, MS
Montgomery, AL
Atlanta, GA
Charlottesville, VA 
Washington, DC

Result:

“UNBUILDING Here” Media Exhibit – Photography & Writings (see sketches)

Written stories and photographs will be displayed on a website to maximize viewership and increase conversations and implementation of unbuilding walls wherever people are

Website and stories will be publicized globally by GRAFT Lab