Taking the Photos Out for a Drive

 Vote Continues                                                   By Aylon Cohen, Intern.

This week, the public vote for the selection of the images for the 2010 Hope in Shadows calendar went to Car Free Days on Commercial Drive and the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Locals came to see the Hope in Shadows tent, with many recognizing the project.  I was really glad to see the excitement that people had for the photography and the Downtown Eastside. The next spot we went to was the Vancouver Art Gallery. What better place for an impromptu photo exhibit than outside a gallery! It was another hot day, so we attracted people with the photos and the shade of our tent. Once again, it was cool to see people connect with the photographs and the project.

It was also interesting to be at the gallery that day. In the photo below, you can see the banner for an exhibition of photos by Anthony Hernandez. It seemed more than coincidental that Hope in Shadows was alongside this exhibition.

Through his photographs, Anthony Hernandez captured everyday life in the streets of Los Angeles. He showed how individuals live their lives publicly.

For me, the question arose: what does it mean to live your life privately when you are homeless.

When you live on the street, the line between public and private
quickly dissolves, and what would be considered your 'private space', a
home for instance, doesn't exist.

When photographing daily life on the streets of the Downtown Eastside, contestants in the Hope in Shadows photo contest must obtain consent from the subjects they photograph.

In that way, Hope in Shadows restores the dignity and respect that the idea of consent was supposed to express, no matter what kind ("private/public") of space one exists within.