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Uneeda Biscuit Mural
Deep Thoughts

Deep Thoughts

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I was digging through the closet when I stumbled on something that I hadn’t really looked at in quite some time.

Picture it, Long Beach, 2004. My husband Robert’s work was hosting its annual Christmas party. The coveted door prize that year, airfare for two anywhere in the US. When they called his name, it is said that everyone in attendance heard him excitedly exclaim “YES!” When he returned to his seat after claiming his prize, he turned and whispered to me, “we’re going to New Orleans!” He had lived there for a spell, and its a place that I always wanted to see. So win, win.

St Charles Street Car
One of my favorite shots from our first trip to New Orleans

We arrived in New Orleans on May 12, 2005. The weather was hot and humid, but with Robert playing tour guide, I was able to see the city through the lens of a former resident. Of course we walked all over the French Quarter, but we also took the streetcar out to Camellia Grill and got over to Vaughn’s to see Kermit Ruffins play [and got to eat beans and rice between sets]. We were only there for a little over a week, but it goes without saying, there is something about New Orleans that will get in your soul.

American Paint Works
New Orleans is a city of many textures

Fast forward to August, when the city was struck by tragedy when the levee system failed, resulting in major flooding of the basin. As the waters receded, it was heartbreaking to see and hear the stories from people in a city that I just visited a few months before. 

I decided that I wanted to help in some, however small, way. Pulling from the negatives of the photos that I took on our trip, I made a slew of prints and enlargements. Then we set up a booth at the monthly art walk in downtown Long Beach where we raised money for the New Orleans Musicians Hurricane Relief Fund and the Louisiana SPCA. Granted, it wasn’t a lot, but we were able to raise a couple hundred dollars for both organizations.

Bacci Supervising
Bacci supervising as I cut matte boards
Artwalk Display
Photos on display

Having recently returned from what is now our eighth trip back to New Orleans, it was a funny coincidence that I should re-discover several leftover unsold prints tucked away in the closet. Though I haven’t decided what I should do with the prints, it was still nice to take a moment and reflect on those photographs taken during my first trip to NOLA.

Once Upon a Time, in London

Once Upon a Time, in London

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When I was interning in London, I played Massive Attack’s “Mezzanine” album endlessly. It was part of my London soundtrack, coupled with David Bowie’s “Low” and “Heroes.”

Walking around damp London streets, commuting on the crowded Underground, or printing photos in the darkroom. The album became important to me without me even realizing it, and it still so fresh in my ears. It’s clouds of smoke against a single bright light. It drips oil… dark, slick, and filled with strange swirls of color swirling on the surface.

With the announcement of the Massive Attack “mezzaninexxi” show next year, I thought I would share one of the projects I photographed while under the influence of the album.

Let’s talk about it in the comments below… in the meantime, here’s my favorite track off the album… will it be part of the Desert Island Stitch series? Only time will tell…