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IN EARLY JUNE, Jason Storbakken distributed disposable cameras to 10 homeless residents of New York City.
Storbakken, the director of chapel and compassionate care at The Bowery Mission and author of “Radical Spirituality: Repentance, Resistance, Revolution,” directed each photographer to capture “things they hoped others might see.”
Here, Storbakken has allowed us to run photos from the project, along with the photographers’ statements.
For more information on the project and the Bowery Mission, visit OneGlimpse.org.
The photos from this project have been curated into a show called “Through My Lens,” which will spend the next year in various locations around New York City.
“That dog always runs up on me. But she’s nice. Her name is Pam.” – Robert Perry
First, the show will be displayed at the Bowery Mission Fellowship Hall as a counterpart to the Lower East Side Art Drive, a silent auction of professional artwork held next door at the New Museum on Sunday, December 14.
“This reminds me of my mom — the lady leg and the big splotch over the rest of her. She left me when I was two.” – Robert Perry
The show is dedicated to Robert Perry, the photographer who took the photo below and the two previous, who was hit and killed by a New York City driver earlier this fall.
“I’ve been homeless on and off since I was twelve. I never really had a bed. This bed looks beautiful … like a dream. I usually sleep in The Bowery Mission or on a park bench or I take the A train to Far Rockaway and back three times and that gets me some sleep. I’m 57 now.” – Robert Perry
“This is the grandstand at the Aqueduct. They are keeping the track decent in the off-season. I like to watch the planes land. Kennedy airport is in the background. Watching the planes from the grandstand inspire me to think about traveling – the quest to travel!” – Sean Collins
“I know Mikey for over twenty years, before he was blind. He used to sell loosies and joints. I was fifteen when we met. He was about forty. He’s been around the Bowery since the ’80s. When I was on the street he would let me stay at his house sometimes and shower and get something to eat.” – Laurie Nixon
“This is the front of Central Booking. The police were taking a person in. It’s hard to see him, but he’s behind the police car. Every time I see this building and these kinds of situations it is a reminder to stay out of trouble. I’ve never been in jail and I don’t want to go.” – Frank M. Oquendo
“This bus takes people to Atlantic City. You pay about twelve dollars for a round-trip ticket, but they give you a card with about seventeen dollars on it to gamble, but you can cash it out and make a few bucks. You get to sleep three hours each way and you can also sleep at the casino for a few hours.
“Some guys gamble and when they lose their money they return angry and tired because they stayed up all night. The casino bus is a way to get some sleep, a few bucks, and to get away from the city for a while.” – Frank M. Oquendo
“That’s where I park my cart for scrap. They let me park it there. This is all my scrap and belongings. My personal belongings are in the shopping cart. I hide it by the library sometimes so that I can move around easier. I can make from twenty dollars a day up to two hundred dollars on a really good day.” – Dennis Brown
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I wonder are iMessages included in this report? Personally I send very few ‘texts’ as I either use iMessage, Viber or WhatsApp. Freebies all the way I say!
Jelly SMS is great too :)
Shouldn’t be as iMessage is a message service like Whatsapp and not texting.
Days of texting and being ripped off by networks for it are hopefully numbered.
How long before there is a tax to own a phone, oh yeah that’s called the broadcasting charge.
Coming soon.
And I thought we were a nation of talkers
“It’s very good to talk!” ; for the phone companies !
Yes. People on the dole should not be allowed access to phones so they can stay in contact with loved ones. Maby give them one phone call a week at the SW office.
Sure they have the country ruined. Not one of them looking for a job. Tut tut tut.
Hope my sarcasm came through above!
Some people try to find a way if turning every article into an opportunity to bash those in social welfare. It’s must be the only way they can feel good about themselves attacking people they don’t know. Never mind that having a phone might actually be a good thing in searching for a job .
Tax them per text quick
Who texts these days? Whatsapp all the way!!
Technically still texting ;)
Ya but will it be counted in the above figure?
But ya it’s still texting…
Yeah you’re right I’d imagine those texts are not counted. I send very few normal texts these days. iMessage, viber, jelly SMS etc
Does that include whatsapp? The only text i send is through whatsapp.
I’d love to know what % of the Social welfare budget (borrowed) goes on phone credit !
How much do you spend from your social welfare?
Don’t have a phone Matt ; what do you do yourself a bit of PIPing is it ?
Put your second name up there you chicken-mason !
’76.7 per cent of all mobile voice calls classified as mobile-to-mobile’
Did we need comreg to tell us that.
Well I didn’t have statistics to hand myself and I don’t know if anyone else is bothered collating the data so I would suggest that yes we did need Comreg to tell us that!
you need comreg to tell you that 75% of calls are mobile to mobile? bless you.
It doesn’t say that. It says that’s the percentage of all mobile calls that go to other mobiles. If you’re not interested in the statistics why read the article?
A 1cent tax on texts…needed.
My h*le it is
It’s a pity ComReg don’t try sort out the shocking service from almost every operator. I live in Dublin and for about 2 hours yesterday my phone (along with my friend’s phone) couldn’t pick up a 3G signal for around 2 hours. Nobody has the patience to deal with EDGE/GPRS these days.
Are texts not taxed at 23% already maybe they should tax emails or comments on the journal ,
Tax Tax Tax… If someone can’t stop texting then maybe a little tax incentive might be good for them. If not, it might help the budget or even sort out our national debt?
Probably texting ya ma and ya da and dat nonsense
have your say