Hyde Park Visual History Project

Last week I did some testing of the projection at home.   Was working to display the images on multiple surfaces to see how color, texture, and depth might change the way the image.   Above are some of the results from projecting on the house, a shed and into the trees.

Also had an opportunity to play with documenting the images.  With long exposures, I was experimenting with inserting myself into the projected image.

Last night was the first public showing of the Hyde Park Visual History Project at the Staatsburg Library.  The images that were being show focused on the photographs that were digitized at the library and the audio we recorded at Netherwood Elementary.   There was a crowd of about 20 people attending all very excited about the project and seeing what would be displayed.

There were two very interesting moments that come to mind.   It just so happened that I had an image of a woman who was attending the showing.   The images was from a 1985 reunion of the Staatsburg school showing her standing next to her sister in the high school sweaters. A comment someone made was that she was now a celebrity.  This is something the kids we worked with at the school also mentioned.  This is another aspect of this project which I want to continue to explore, highlighting the everyday individual.   I’ve long seen these efforts as providing a moment for the community to see itself.   There is something about looking at yourself in a mirror or hearing yourself in an audio recording that opens up moment for reflection.  My hope is that this continues to happen.

The other note of interest from last night was the way people were continually negotiating the images.  “Where is that?”  “Oh, there is the old Lehman house!”  “My home would be right about here, but it was built a few years after this image was taken?”  “What is that image of, it doesn’t seem right.”   A conversation arose from the audience and it built as the night continued.  Those attending where talking trying to place images and relate them to their own experience of town.   Next time I’ll have to record some of these moments.   It was interesting to hear the stories that came out of this, which provide the real understanding of the hamlet of Staatsburg.