[In Progress] The Photo Chronicle

Converting newspaper vending boxes on city streets into pinhole cameras to capture and preserve the identity of a neighborhood

The distribution of news racks, also called newspaper vending boxes, used to reflect the taste and culture of a specific region. Local newspapers, alternative publications, and newspapers in different languages sold out of these news rack were markers of a neighborhoods identity. Now a lot of those newspaper boxes are decrepit and full of garbage, becoming a nuisance instead of a resource. This project transforms those newspaper boxes into simple pinhole cameras, also known as camera obscuras, that can create a visual journal of a community. 

A camera obscura is a black box with a small hole letting light in and creating a mirrored image of what is outside. Photo-sensitive material captures that light and you have photo, no lenses or sensors needed. With some minor adjustments, newsracks become excellent enclosures for these cameras - they are already built of metal, bolted to the ground and secured. 

This project restores the existing infrastructure already living in a neighborhood into a resource for the community. Cities are changing faster than ever before, leaving businesses, people, and landmarks that were cornerstones of a community to be forgotten. The photos also open the door for further community engagement; the community members are important collaborators deciding how these images are curated, displayed and conserved. The straightforward repurposing of the news racks then becomes a more impactful form of neighborhood preservation.

The distribution of news racks, also called newspaper vending boxes, used to reflect the taste and culture of a specific region. Local newspapers, alternative publications, and newspapers in different languages sold out of these news rack were markers of a neighborhoods identity. Now a lot of those newspaper boxes are decrepit and full of garbage, becoming a nuisance instead of a resource. This project transforms those newspaper boxes into simple pinhole cameras, also known as camera obscuras, that can create a visual journal of a community. 

A camera obscura is a black box with a small hole letting light in and creating a mirrored image of what is outside. Photo-sensitive material captures that light and you have photo, no lenses or sensors needed. With some minor adjustments, newsracks become excellent enclosures for these cameras - they are already built of metal, bolted to the ground and secured. 

This project restores the existing infrastructure already living in a neighborhood into a resource for the community. Cities are changing faster than ever before, leaving businesses, people, and landmarks that were cornerstones of a community to be forgotten. The photos also open the door for further community engagement; the community members are important collaborators deciding how these images are curated, displayed and conserved. The straightforward repurposing of the news racks then becomes a more impactful form of neighborhood preservation.

The distribution of news racks, also called newspaper vending boxes, used to reflect the taste and culture of a specific region. Local newspapers, alternative publications, and newspapers in different languages sold out of these news rack were markers of a neighborhoods identity. Now a lot of those newspaper boxes are decrepit and full of garbage, becoming a nuisance instead of a resource. This project transforms those newspaper boxes into simple pinhole cameras, also known as camera obscuras, that can create a visual journal of a community. 

A camera obscura is a black box with a small hole letting light in and creating a mirrored image of what is outside. Photo-sensitive material captures that light and you have photo, no lenses or sensors needed. With some minor adjustments, newsracks become excellent enclosures for these cameras - they are already built of metal, bolted to the ground and secured. 

This project restores the existing infrastructure already living in a neighborhood into a resource for the community. Cities are changing faster than ever before, leaving businesses, people, and landmarks that were cornerstones of a community to be forgotten. The photos also open the door for further community engagement; the community members are important collaborators deciding how these images are curated, displayed and conserved. The straightforward repurposing of the news racks then becomes a more impactful form of neighborhood preservation.

Currently I am developing a mechanical shutter mechanism that can capture be retrofitted onto these newspaper vending boxes.

I am looking for community partners and organizations that might want to bring this project to life in their community.