Welcome to Mike's

Date2016

MediumDigital chromogenic print

DimensionsImage Size: 19 1/8 × 29 1/2 in. (48.6 × 74.9 cm) Paper Size: 19 1/2 × 30 in. (49.5 × 76.2 cm) Framed Size: 37 × 26 3/4 in. (94 × 67.9 cm)

Credit LineDC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Art Bank Collection

Object numberDCCAH2018.006.3

ClassificationsPhotographs

Locations

Labor Relations Collective Bargaining (441 4th Street, 820N)

DescriptionThe visual language of this city - handmade signage, small-scale graffiti, corner stores, carry-outs, barber shops, cleaners, auto body shops, off-brand groceries, street churches, checker clubs – are what make it home. These spaces and objects represent people and their work to provide intimacy and community. They make it real. Lely Constantinople chronicles these types of places over time, how they change and remain the same, how they hold fast or succumb to time. Constantinople gets attached. My process involves walking, observing and revisiting places over years to mark changes and note the comings and goings of one for another. This approach forces deeper observation and an attraction to flux. When a spot endures, it is a triumph, not because change is anathema, but because there is something about the anchor weight of a barber shop or a corner store that exemplifies the organic vigor and strength of a community, even if, and perhaps especially, if it is only specific to a few city blocks.