Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2008 - (Page 71)

M edia coverage of Hurricane Katrina allowed the world to witness the horrors of this disaster, both natural and man-made, upon New Orleans by telecasting the enormity of this tragedy. When I returned home from my evacuation, however, I knew that my photography needed to be on a closer, more personal level, capturing the individual rather than the collective tragedy. I have always tried to find beauty and humanity in my surroundings. My challenge was to continue in this vein. To help me focus, I concentrated on composition; color was forcibly muted because the city had been submerged in water for weeks, leaving behind a pallid landscape. What struck me most when I entered the disaster zones was the sheer silence. I saw no people, no moving cars, no birds, no vegetation, no sound other than rustling debris. Mud was caked everywhere. Mold had quickly made its way up walls. The aftermath of cataclysmic upheavals of furniture and personal belongings was overwhelming. The guts were ripped from homes and lives. I felt that I was on a movie set depicting the death of a city. This wasteland seemingly had no beginning and no end Someone’s closet laid bare for all to see a wedding picture found strewn in the dried mud a neighbor’s window blinds bent by the forces of water … what was once a cherished sofa now finding its demise in a Katrina landfill. By zooming in on the details, simple objects represent enormous loss. These images are universal, yet deeply personal. And there is beauty in them all. Looking back at these photographs today, they are just as poignant to me as when I took them three years ago. I hope these images can help preserve a part of New Orleans history. Such tragedies need to be surmounted but not forgotten. Sandra Burshell’s photographs were exhibited in Katrina Exposed: A Photographic Reckoning at the New Orleans Museum of Art in 2006, portions of which were selected for the museum’s permanent collection. She is represented by the Carol Robinson Gallery in New Orleans: www.carolrobinsongallery.com. 9-25, Gentilly What struck me most in when I entered the disaster zones was the silence. I saw no people, no moving cars, no birds, no vegetation, no sound other than rustling debris. Fall 2008/LOUISIANA CULTURAL VISTAS 71 http://www.carolrobinsongallery.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2008

Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2008 Contents Friends Editor’s Column Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities New Orleans Immortelle The Historic New Orleans Collection Highland-Fairfield: The Historic Heart of Shreveport The Ogden Museum of Southern Art Perils of the Mississippi River Louisiana Foodways Harvest of Life King Oliver: The Forgotten King of Jazz Louisiana Architecture Jazz Notes Louisiana State Museum Eye of the Storm Louisiana Association of Museums Soul Resin Bookstand Sound Advice Forum

Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.