The photographs in Work In Progress On In Progress Work have been made in downtown Brooklyn between 2011-2014, a time when changes in the architecture of the area alone became a monumental manifestation of the rapid socioeconomic shifts in the area. As a long-time resident of Brooklyn, Jason John Würm was struck by the transformation and so-called urban renewal. From the Barclays Center to high-rise condos, this “gentrification on steroids” as Würm refers to it, inspired him to invite fellow photographers and local residents Matthew Schenning and Carl Gunhouse to join him in a collective effort focused on recording a way of life that is quickly being overshadowed by skyscrapers.
With this common interest and preference for straight-photography, they decided to share their work anonymously via a Tumblr site. With the URL dtwnbklyn.tumblr.com, an archive was born and with its seemingly endless scroll of accumulating images, the site echoes the changing environment the photographers seek to document.
The group’s aesthetic is rooted in NYC 1960’s and 1970’s street photography, however, the nature of the project owes its inspiration to Bernice Abbot. Subtle stylistic changes distinguish the three, whose contemporary influences can be traced to Paul Graham and Tod Papageorge.
Artist Bios
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Carl Gunhouse
Carl Gunhouse holds a BA in European History, a MA in American History and a BFA in Photography from Fordham and a MFA in Photography from Yale. He has written on photography for such websites as “Searching For the Light”, “Lay Flat”, and “American Suburb X”. As an artist, he photographs by driving around the US to expose the little visual bits of America that give voice to our shared history and experience.
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Matthew Schenning
Matthew Schenning photographs the landscape with a large format camera, seeking to understand his own relationship to his surroundings and interjecting a bit of humor and poetry into the imagery of the everyday. He has been included in exhibitions internationally and was featured in the first edition of “The Collector’s Guide to Emerging Art Photography” published by the Humble Arts Foundation and most recently in the exhibition catalogue for “If This Is It” published by Waal-Boght Press.
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Jason John Würm
Born to parents in the US Army, Jason John Würm grew up throughout the US and Germany. Settling in NYC in 2001 to study photography he earned his BFA in Photography from SVA. Würm utilizes a documentary photography to record the ephemeral around America. His work has been exhibited nationally and published in “The New York Times” and “The New Yorker”. In 2012, Würm founded Waal-Boght Press to promote straight photography through publications.
Organizations
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Center for Photography at Woodstock
Founded in 1977, the Center for Photography at Woodstock is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 artist-centered organization dedicated to supporting artists working in photography and related media and engaging audiences through opportunities in which creation, discovery, and learning are made possible.
Located in Woodstock, NY, CPW serves as a bridge connecting artists working in photography and related media to year-round programs that include exhibitions, workshops, lectures, artist workspace residencies, regional grants, and more. CPW provides access to professional resources including traditional and digital workspace, a library of over 1,500 monographs, exhibition catalogs, and publications, public lectures, community, and more. CPW’s print collection, which is held on extended loan at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz features over 1,800 works including photography, artist books, photo-based sculptures, and more. In 2009 CPW received the Spotlight Award from the Lucie Foundation for “significantly altering the landscape of photography”.
Work In Progress On In Progress Work
Featuring: Carl Gunhouse Matthew Schenning Jason John Würm
Curated by: Rose Wind Jerome Jason John Würm
Locations
View Location Details Brooklyn Bridge Park – Pier 5 UplandsBrooklyn,
NY 11201
Location open 24 hours
