The Whole Thing Done Changed, in collaboration with Carl Westbrooks

Brooklyn, NY 

2021

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When I moved to Bed Stuy, Brooklyn in 2015, I learned about the neighborhood by getting to know local people who have lived there for decades and who have significant connections to the community.

 

As a result the education I've received, I've obtained all of these second-hand associations and context which has not only made the area a lot more interesting to me, but has also informed the decisions that I make as a resident and community member myself. 

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I've learned a lot from my boxing trainer Carl Westbrooks. When we drive around together he always points out buildings or locations in the neighborhood and talks about their history and often shares some specific memory he has associated with it. As part of project initiated by Harrell Fletcher, I was given $100 to commission someone (ideally a non-artist) to do a project. I commissioned Carl to do essentially what he would do with me normally, except this time, it would be framed as an art project and I would document it through photographs and an audio recording, which I would use to transcribe our conversation. 

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Our conversation was featured in the Spring 2021 issue of the Social Forms of Art Journal.