Here is what I found:
Furniture still there, pictures on the walls. Even the piano still worked. As I walked through the house I couldn't get over the substantial amount of history that permeated throughout it. Multiple generations were placed on the walls, put up to be remember in a house that seems to have been forgotten. Time is frozen here, but memories are slowly melting away as the house deteriorates.
In a historically African American neighborhood that over the past few decades has been taken over by college students, this house seems to be a testament to a vibrant community that once thrived in Chapel Hill.
I was truly moved by the house. The energy of family resonates so strongly that I couldn't help but feel sad imagining what had gone on there and the reasons the family had abandoned it.
I wanted to capture these moments in my photographs. What represented family and love in the abandoned house? The multiple pictures on every wall and tables told me this family wanted to surround themselves with their memories. The beautiful piano. How can you not imagine a lesson taking place on the bench. The letters being written on the keys as an easy reference for untrained fingers. The pictures of the graduate in cap and gown and the sailor placed with pride on the top of the instrument, in easy view for guests as they entered the living room. The coats left in the hallway Armour. Did they have to leave in a hurry, only taking what meant the most to them?
There is a story lingering in the house that's been settled with the dust in the drapes. A story that needs to be shaken out and shared.
I have a name and an address that I took off the notice on the front door. That's a start.
Here's a slideshow of the pictures.
No comments:
Post a Comment