re:construction

Statement on Installation

2008-07-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

I have a compulsion to collect and photograph discarded and otherwise overlooked objects, reviving their once precious nature by excessively archiving and/or documenting what I find.

For my installation in the Project Space, I extend my interest in abandoned property to include real estate. Between January 1st, 2008 and June 30th, 2008, I synced my life in tandem with the City of Houston’s on-line permits website, then visited residential properties scheduled for demolition within the inner loop. I captured these fugitive places using (the now discontinued) Polaroid film, and retrieved what personal items I found on site. (Re)Vision encapsulates my six-month project, with the collection of images gridded off by zip code and accompanied by selected found objects.

Map

These images are of the properties that were demolished in this time period - thank you to Lauren Meyers for assisting me on the many, many excursions around town!

4211 jack

2008-02-16T09:16:00.001-08:00

2327 dunstan

2008-02-16T09:15:00.000-08:00

2042 w main

2008-02-16T09:13:00.001-08:00

2105 south blvd.

2008-02-16T09:10:00.000-08:00

Rainy...

4310 blossom?

2008-02-06T14:19:00.000-08:00

This house was being moved but was then abandoned in a parking lot along Oliver St. near Center St.

1115 valentine

2008-02-06T14:18:00.001-08:00

3721 leeland

2008-02-06T14:17:00.000-08:00

more sampson area

2008-02-06T14:15:00.000-08:00

south grand apartments

2008-02-06T14:11:00.002-08:00

An air conditioning unit started the fire at this complex at I-10 near the beltway

2234 albans

2008-02-06T14:11:00.001-08:00

215, 706, 710 asbury st.

2008-02-06T14:08:00.000-08:00

1129, 1131, 1139 w 17th

2008-02-06T14:06:00.000-08:00

516 w 26th

2008-02-06T14:05:00.000-08:00

1810, 1818 wichita

2008-02-06T13:59:00.000-08:00

1215 w bell

2008-01-06T19:17:00.000-08:00

...and found a copy of this...

516 w 26th

2008-01-06T18:35:00.000-08:00

4118 blue bonnet

2007-12-22T12:46:00.001-08:00

sampson st.

2007-12-18T09:49:00.001-08:00

714 1/2, 720 1/2 e 8 1/2

2007-12-18T09:47:00.000-08:00

dorothy st.

2007-12-18T09:45:00.002-08:00

314 w polk

2007-12-18T09:45:00.001-08:00

1132 herkimer

2007-12-18T09:44:00.000-08:00

1330 nicholson

2007-12-18T09:43:00.001-08:00

1516 ridgewood

2007-12-18T09:17:00.000-08:00

12/13, needs labeling

2007-12-16T19:29:00.000-08:00

bailey

2007-12-16T19:28:00.000-08:00

1013 bailey

2007-12-15T23:33:00.001-08:00

1941 w 15th

2007-12-11T06:52:00.000-08:00

2335 underwood

2007-12-10T12:23:00.000-08:00

12/1-12/9

2007-12-09T19:49:00.000-08:00

714 1/2 e. 8 1/2, heights (3/5) 720 1/2 (4/5)

2007-12-03T16:44:00.001-08:00

714 1/2 e. 8 1/2, heights (2/5)

2007-12-03T16:37:00.000-08:00

e. 8 1/2, heights (1/5)

2007-12-03T16:34:00.000-08:00

419 peden

2007-12-03T07:54:00.001-08:00

601 link

2007-12-03T07:53:00.000-08:00

2302 dryden

2007-12-03T07:51:00.000-08:00

Meeting Arthur

2007-12-01T09:57:00.000-08:00

I spent some time yesterday (and Thursday) on East 8 1/2 street in the Heights. There had been a listing for 4 separate properties (714, 716, 718, and 720) to be demolished. When I arrived, 1/4 had been demolished. I was able to speak briefly with members of the demolition crew. 2/4 was taken down yesterday and 3 and 4 will go I am guessing on separate dates. I was on site yesterday and approached by a man who grew up on this block - and whose parents still live there. What broke my heart most was speaking with him and hearing him refer to each house by the homeowners name. Not only are 4 properties in process of demolition, but 2 more (just on the 700 block!) already have signs for demolition companies in the yard. It's sad...and in speaking with Arthur, it doesn't seem like there is much option given to the homeowners of these properties, once the value of the land is considered. I plan on speaking with him more in the next couple of weeks, to gain more information (on a personal level) about this particular block. Images of these properties are soon to come.

11/26-12/2

2007-11-26T19:07:00.000-08:00

5217 cornish

2007-11-26T08:37:00.001-08:00

1507 lawrence

2007-11-19T22:24:00.000-08:00

2302 / 2246 branard

2007-11-19T22:20:00.001-08:00

2302 branard (pink)

2007-11-19T22:19:00.000-08:00

1506 w. alabama

2007-11-19T22:18:00.003-08:00

2301 reba

2007-11-19T22:18:00.001-08:00

1201 n durham

2007-11-19T22:14:00.001-08:00

4001 meadow lake

2007-11-19T22:10:00.001-08:00

712 w. 28th street

2007-11-19T16:34:00.000-08:00

710 w. 28th street

2007-11-19T16:26:00.000-08:00

2118 park

2007-11-17T16:38:00.000-08:00

4211 billingsley

2007-11-17T15:31:00.001-08:00

this is a new collage (i am going to fix the image onto a surface) and i will also be working on a photopolymer plate version of this image....from the following location. soon to come!

4003 turnberry

2007-11-15T20:06:00.000-08:00

Just off of Stella Link in Ayrshire, this home looks as if the former tenants left without much notice:

5530 darnell

2007-11-15T20:05:00.001-08:00

A little late on this one:

3842 durness

2007-11-15T19:55:00.001-08:00

3819 purdue

2007-11-15T19:22:00.000-08:00

thanks to frank

2007-11-14T10:19:00.000-08:00

I was told about this website called Community Walk, which is amazing. It not only allows me to plot out each map point, but also orders them and will show me how to drive to each location in order. This shows my path for shooting today.

http://www.communitywalk.com/houston/texas/map/188507

coh site back up

2007-11-13T20:33:00.000-08:00

The City of Houston's page is up and running again - for On-Line Permits. These are the innerloop properties, sorted by section of Houston/color. This makes it much easier to navigate to the site. These are the properties I am scheduled to visit tomorrow.

2313 Sauer

2007-11-12T16:37:00.001-08:00

The City of Houston website has been down for a few days now...I am unable to check up on the demolition, but am able to go shoot more at the locations (13) that have been posted already. Many of these have been demolished already - they waste no time. This property is one of my favorites thus far....

3203 & 3209 Adelia St

2007-11-12T16:37:00.000-08:00

Both were demolished before i was able to shoot them. Perhaps Lauren can post these 2, 3209 Center Street and 6015 Glencove St if she got them before demo. :)

6015 glencove

2007-11-09T13:29:00.000-08:00

2610 sumpter

2007-11-09T13:21:00.001-08:00

3206 center

2007-11-09T13:21:00.000-08:00

No records match this search! Residential: 3

2007-11-09T07:30:00.000-08:00

Nothing more since those 13 properties were posted. I have negatives from some properties and will post the images as soon as I drop off/pick up the film. I am also thinking of using HAR as a cross-reference (as suggested by a fellow demolition tracker).

11/05/07

2007-11-05T13:21:00.000-08:00

First properties scheduled for demolition within the Innerloop since November. There are 13 thus far.

No records match this search! Residential: 3

2007-11-04T20:00:00.000-08:00

I have searched the properties that are set for demolition between November 1st and today. Nothing in 3 days. In observation, however, it took eight days from the posting of the permit of 2317 Morse to be demolished. I went by again today and they had finished the demo on the secondary portion of the house. Now there is just debris to be removed - along with a precious Fisher Price dollhouse, an easter basket, tiles from a smashed kitchen wall, dresser drawers with kitten contact paper, and and upside down plastic chair. There is no telling what lies under the remainder of the house's (harder to rummage through) debris. There is still mail in the mailbox for both families that lived in this split unit house.

revised statement

2007-11-03T10:12:00.000-07:00

"Re:Construction: A Visual Preservation of Houston's Innerloop."
Through this project, I utilize the City of Houston website to track the demolition of residential properties. From November 1st, 2007 until the onset of the installation of this project (predictably 6 months), I locate these properties by referencing Sold Permits online. I am recording the dates and locations of these subjects with Excel spreadsheets, traveling to the location of demolition, and photographing at these sites. After 6 months of documentation I will be able to provide a cumulative collection and/or record of the residential properties within Houston's Innerloop that are inevitably to be removed. As far as imagery for the show, I will be focusing on objects from these locations and selecting a cohesive group. Additionally, there will be a map of Houston's Innerloop affixed to the floor, with numbered map points representing the houses demolished.

morse and fairview

2007-11-02T11:51:00.001-07:00

The demolition was posted for this property just last week. Today it is no more - was torn down yesterday. This is the first house I spent time on since working out the re:construction project idea. I will post images of this house to kind of jumpstart the idea, since no properties are posted yet...

meeting w/ am

2007-11-02T07:42:00.000-07:00

Not being in school, and around feedback is often times confusing. I met up with a friend last night who is still in the program at UH - different discipline. We discussed re:construction at length, and because of the severe process involved, she is afraid I will lose what it is that makes my work what it is. Afraid that the motivation for creating the work will have been lost in an obsessive, compulsive, and process-oriented approach. I look forward to the first round of images - there is no way for me to visualize the imagery until I am on site, and exploring these locations. Perhaps there is a way to show new and old within one context...or the element of the house in my exploration that pulls at my heartstrings...but more than anything, the beauty of this object that is being demolished.

11/01/07

2007-11-01T15:09:00.001-07:00

I have checked the City of Houston > Online Permits site several times today, first at 2:22 pm. I will continue to check for the inclusion of permits specific to the demolition of residential properties, but thus far nothing. I was really excited to shoot today, too! Maybe something will post later.

The format I will follow to keep up with this information includes the use of blogs, excel, and other digital medias. I will log the information on spreadsheets like so:

10/31/07

2007-10-31T19:54:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow marks the start of my latest project, entitled "Re:Construction: A Visual Preservation of Houston's Innerloop." Through this project, I plan to utilize the City of Houston website - the Online Permits, specifically. From November 1st, 2007 until the onset of the installation of this project (predictably 6 months), I will check the City of Houston website for the latest Sold Permits added to the site that are specific to the demolition of residential properties within Houston's Innerloop. I will be not only recording the dates and locations of these properties, but additionally will be photographing each property. After 6 months of documentation I will be able to provide a cumulative collection and/or record of the residential properties within Houston's Innerloop that are inevitably to be removed.