HAIKUnamatata

jenbekmanprojects:

An Inability to Shake the Feeling of Running the Wrong Way into the Unknown by Colin Blakely

“Somewhere in Middle America, in the most basic sense, is a project about the 400 and 500 blocks of Keech Avenue, an examination of my immediate surroundings. Bordered on one side by Michigan Stadium and by Almendinger Park on the other, both entities play an important role in the identity of the neighborhood. Annually, we welcome thousands of visitors arriving from all over the country to go the stadium and participate in the American ritual of Big-10 College Football. People also come from all around town to visit the park and participate in activities there. Visitors to both places inevitably end up passing through Keech Avenue.

“My photographs depict this street and the people that inhabit it—both the ones that live here and the ones that visit. Some I know quite well, others are complete strangers. Overall, the work tells the story of a community that is holding on to a vanishing way of life. It is about a group of people living quite literally in Middle America—geographically, economically, politically—at a time when our notions concerning what this means are quickly changing. Having shunned the constant call of the suburbs, we live in a small neighborhood close to downtown. Here, the passing of time is defined as much by the rituals we collectively participate in as by the months on a calendar. This work is a celebration of, and possibly a eulogy to, our way of life.”—Artist Colin Blakely

Favorite feelings-

Twisting the bat clockwise while

Stepping to home plate.