Many Thousands Gone

 

MANY THOUSANDS GONE began when I asked myself if I/we can recognize the places where a Black body was shot and killed by a police officer. Do we know the names of the parks, the streets, or the door number? Do we know the bodega on the corner? Do we realize the number of sites extend back in history beyond this current moment?

Many Thousands Gone started as an investigation into the overly portrayed images by the media to see whether the images we claim to see over and over were actually being seen. Each image was sourced through an online image search. Originally contained a crime scene or a memorial where a person of color was murdered by a police officer. By manipulating the images through PhotoShop the site is removed of any evidence for us to see murder by police officer is everywhere.

 

NOTES FROM MY ARTIST JOURNAL

Many Thousands Gone has been the most difficult series to date. I started in 2017 where I completed 35 images during two rounds of edits. If I am being honest, I have not been able to find the mental space to enter the process since then. The images are hard to stare into as I remove the trauma. Sometimes I remove caution tape, cop cars and police officers. Sometimes I remove pop-up memorials consisting of teddy bears, candles, and posters. Sometimes I remove blood smears, white sheets, and bullet casings.

…and sometimes I remove personal belongings…

…his shoes…

The image of Philando’s car has been sitting in my external hard drive since 2017. It has been the one image I have not been able to complete. As each image has come with vary degrees of difficulty. There was something about his shoes.

His shoes sit on the asphalt outside of the car - one facing the car as though he is entering and the other as if he were exiting. It punches me in the gut every time I sit down to “complete” the image. It feels as though I am erasing a person I never knew but only had the chance to meet through this image, this work, and this ever growing issue that haunts Black and Brown bodies. I’m erasing someone who was already gone but that fact does not make it any easier as his spirit is so strong in the photograph. The three year break from the image did not made it any easier to complete.