November 15, 2018: Hazy pre-sunset skies in Berkeley, CA // November 17, 2018: Weather report for San Francisco, CA
This was a project initiated at Adelines Lab in Berkeley, CA.
A people’s almanac of smoke was a frame for a collective conversation about the Camp Fire smoke that blanketed the San Francisco Bay Area in November of 2018 and its implications for Californian communities, our shifting sense of “normal” and the air we breathe.
From January 10 through February 22, 2019, residents of the Bay Area were invited to bring to Adelines Lab their N95 or N100 masks for a free portrait session and loose conversation with me regarding their experiences, concerns and reflections about the smoke that covered our communities last fall. I created these portraits out of ink and charcoal, which were compiled into a wall installation (pictures forthcoming). This project sought to activate a local dialogue about climate change, “the new normal” and what it means for “home” to become an inhospitable, toxic place. These exchanges took place at Adelines Lab weekly.
