Life along the L line by farras abdelnour

Public Project

Life along the L line

Copyright farras abdelnour 2024

Date of Work Jan 2015 - Ongoing

Updated Nov 2019

Location New York City

Topics Documentary, Editorial, Photography, Street

Nearly a decade ago, summer of 2012, I visited the industrial part of Bushwick, Brooklyn, for a popup one day photo exhibition. The neighborhood felt distant, disconnected from what in my mind is New York or, indeed, Brooklyn. Yet I instantly fell for the vibe of the neighborhood and its utilitarian architecture. Around the same period of time, outer boroughs gentrification, and the inevitable accompanying changes it brings with it, was a frequent news subject. My curiosity was piqued, and I started visiting the neighborhood every so often, trying to grasp it via my camera. In the winter of 2015 I started the Life on L Line project documenting the changes in the neighborhoods along the L subway line.

The project encapsulates the characteristics and changes of the neighborhoods along the L line, both in Manhattan and Brooklyn, via still images, oral history from long time residents and businesses, as gentrification continues, altering the demographics. The pressure of changes along the L line is such that, as an example, the Our Lady of Loreto Church in Brownsville was demolished late 2017 in favor of a residential building — against the neighborhood residents’ wish.

The project was exhibited at b[x] in Bushwick from October 25 to December 8, 2019.

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farras abdelnour

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