ART


     

"Detroit Proper"

A Photo Essay by  Michelle Brooks

       
       

My photography seeks to capture the quotidian details of people and places in a way that forces the viewer to experience them in an emotional way. My process is one not of discovery as much as rediscovery. I juxtapose the natural world with the man-made one to create a tension between what has always existed and what has been created or discarded. As a writer I have a narrative sensibility. My photographs attempt to give a glimpse of a story that allows the viewer enough room to bring their story to the image as well. Part of my process is not to stage photographs. I work with objects as they are. I seek to photograph people on the street from a distance or ask strangers if I can photograph them. I've never been refused a photograph. I've been surprised and delighted by the variety of poses my subjects assume. As with the objects, I offer no directives, as I believe the essence of a person, object, or place reveals itself when it is as undisturbed by the viewer as possible. With a camera, I open myself to the heartbreak, beauty, nobility, effort, and sorrow of people and places I only think I know. In The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, the word sonder is defined as realizing each random passerby has a life as complex and vivid as one's own. Behind the camera, I become aware of the sonder all around me. It allows my heart to break open and stand still at the same time.
- Michelle Brooks


Arnold

Arnold


Beauty Shop

Beauty Shop


Crawlers Avenue

Crawlers Avenue


Detroit Big Bird

Detroit Big Bird


Detroit Stamp

Detroit Stamp


Discount Candles

Discount Candles


Economy Appliances

Economy Appliances


Geist

Geist


Legion

Legion


Liberty

Liberty


Word Of Truth

Word Of Truth


You Buy We Fry

You Buy We Fry