Through the accelerated redevelopment of the city, Miami and much of South Florida have seen a rapid transformation of the urban landscape. These changes are rooted in a booming real estate market that is pricing out residents from their neighborhoods. In most cases, these changes appear invisible.

The quick transformation of these spaces leaves no trace of their history; it becomes imperceptible for many. This Community wants to make this visible. To publicize it to a larger audience.

This Community is an installation that includes a series of photographs that show the fragility of these communities. It includes a 5-image salon-style installation which highlights the places at the cusp of change.
Above the photographs, a large neon sign reacts to the visitor’s movement: Unlike a regular sign, the installation interacts in relationship to visitors’ distance: The sign is partially lit, only showing the first two words: This Community. Once the visitor approaches the installation, a motion sensor, hidden within the sign, lights up the three missing words with the message: Will Gentrify Soon.

This Community is a project about perspective. It asks the visitor to get closer. To observe and make visible what from afar is dismissed and ignored.

For about a century, Miami has been recognized as the vacation capital of America. The Magic City, a nickname coined by snowbirds who marveled at the city’s rapid expansion, has stuck in the popular imagination since its inception.

As with the Coppertone ad, the city’s image has been a fabrication for visitors and a fictional reminder for residents. In This Community, I juxtapose realities that intersect issues of gentrification, class, race, and access. The salon-style installation, along with the neon sign, aims at provoking the viewer and discover what is evident, yet invisible.
The work asks for a closer look in order to enhance one’s perspective.

The iconic sign reminds us that there’s still a power struggle to define the meaning of progress. Documenting these contradictions allows me to understand the rapid changes in the urban landscape.

My work’s overall goal is to spark a reaction. To slow down the transformation and allow for an introspective connection within the viewer.

LED Neon sign, Micro-computer, 5 C-prints, 2 radars. Dimensions variable