Inspired by my family’s immigration to Chicago from Ireland and Poland in the late 19th Century, their labor, culture and community in the Back of the Yards meatpacking district, their settlement in one of the United States’ first suburbs, and the suburban trajectory of my family since, this series of work interrogates the personal, cultural, and economic consequences of suburban development and sprawl.
Glass Highway Series: cloverleaf
By animating travel on a glass highway interchange, I am reflecting upon the infrastructure that maintains American suburban ideals while hinting at its’ fragility and consequences, including the death of my brother in 2020, who died in an automobile accident on a suburban Chicago interchange similar to one the one shown here.
The audio includes the song titled “Home, Sweet, Home” which was written by John Howard Payne in 1822 and reflects the homelessness he felt after his mother died when he was 13 and his father soon after. The song was performed by Baker, Elsie — Vocalist — Contralto, and Bishop, Henry R. — Composer, and the version used was recorded in 1914.
Payne, John Howard, Elsie Baker, and Henry R Bishop. Home, Sweet Home. 1914. Audio. https://www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-132864/.
Glass Houses Series: Mather Lane
Building and animating 3D models of domestic architecture specific to my family, I reflect upon how American ideals that evolved from the 19th Century European emigrant experience, coupled with a century of negligent and discriminatory suburban planning and policies, set the afflicted path for a family with xenophobic tendencies and unrealistic expectations of grandeur.
The score for this short film includes the song titled “Dixie Highway,” which was written by Walter Donaldson and performed by Kahn, Gus — Lyricist, Stanley, Aileen — Vocalist — Soprano Vocal, and Bourdon, Rosario — Conductor in 1922. The Dixie Highway was constructed and expanded from 1915 – 1929 to connect Chicago with Miami, making it one of the earliest interstate highways in the United States.
Kahn, G., Stanley, A., Donaldson, W. & Bourdon, R. (1922) Dixie Highway. [Audio] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-62433/.
All That Glitters: 19th and Mather
All That Glitters: Mozart and Cambridge
This series is in production. Below are examples of 3D models and animations of other dwellings that members of my family have lived in. These models will eventually be composited with each other and other media to build connections between past and present.