ELECTION
2000
Palm Beach County
Often in South Florida, Street
Photography entails photographing the elderly or hopeless-struggling with
their loneliness, tourists at play or residents going about their ordinary
lives in malls, shopping centers, fairs or other places where they congregate.
Rarely does South Florida lend itself to photography of people at events on
the streets which more customarily takes place in other areas.
For a few weeks during the aftermath of the
2000 Presidential Election controversy and later as result of its connection
with the September 11 hijackers and the ensuing Anthrax crisis, South Florida,
and Palm Beach County in particular, became an epicenter of world attention.
Most of the photographs in the ELECTION
SERIES were taken in downtown West Palm Beach within a few days of the
presidential election, after it was clear that the outcome was in doubt.
Spontaneous outpourings of emotion and demonstrations continued sporadically
for several days. Later, when the national media focused on Palm Beach County,
protests were more staged, events designed to obtain media attention, which to
me were far less interesting.
Unlike most of my Street Photography, many of the
subjects in the ELECTION SERIES knew they were being photographed. They put
themselves on display, there to be seen, attempting to convey their message.
The question is, what message does their display really carry for themselves,
our democracy and the world?
