Storytelling | “An Ode to South LA”

In 2016 I released this project that was “an ode to South LA” and though it was truly a labor of love to create - it was also bittersweet. At the time, I had a little insight into commercial real-estate, and I was witnessing many drastic changes - from the new Crenshaw/LAX (Metro) line being built in addition to the new LA Rams Stadium, it was in the middle of another huge transition where gentrification overtly seemed to be at the forefront for developers; community staples were literally being replaced with big, yet disconnected corporations and the cost of living was increasing rapidly where the people who once could afford to live in their neighborhoods were now being pushed out. Unfortunately, these type of instances happens frequently and at an alarming rate. So through my project, I figured that before the essence of this city was no longer felt or the small nuances that made it significant could no longer be identified - that was attempt to capture a small time capsule and preserve its taste of soul.

Update: My intuition was spot on…several of the landmarks that I captured then either have been drastically updated or they flat out do not exist today (2020).