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 In order to see a future that can be brought out of the turmoil that has recently taken the lives of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Antwon Rose II, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, and countless others, we're going to have to acknowledge police killings as white supremacy manifesting murder, violence, and trauma against black people. This is a weapon that is hundreds of years old with deep roots. Deep roots require extreme amounts of work to dig up and we stand in solidarity with all protesters around the country. Black and Brown people deserve so much more than this dangerous reality put on to them. Let's put everything we can into making change real and tangible. Speak up, donate, and show up in action for the people who have already sacrificed so much. --Jessie Rommelt, Director Bunker Projects  Some places to donate:
Official George Floyd Memorial Fund Black Lives Matter Movement: Fight to end state-sanctioned violence, liberate black people, and end white supremacy forever. The Freedom Fund: posts bail to secure the safety and liberty of people in jail and immigration detention Bukit Bail Fund of Pittsburgh is named to honor the life of Frank "Bukit" Smart, Jr who supports those incarcerated at Allegheny County Jail. Community Justice Exchange: National Bail Fund Network: Tools to end all forms of criminalization, incarceration, surveillance, supervision and detention. I spoke with Tom Souzer recently after we asked him to capture photographs of the Bunker Projects board at work. Our conversation was about his process and experience as a photographer working predominantly in and with Downtown Pittsburgh as environment and subject. www.tomsouzer.com www.instagram.com/tomsouzer  Reese McArdle: Tom, what compels you to shoot? Tom Souzer: I think there are a few things that compel me to shoot. The main one is to document what's around me whether it be a strange moment or a fleeting scene. I enjoy the hunt of looking for the next photo as well. R: How do you recognize your subject, when do you know to point your camera and capture? T: I guess the short answer is when it feels right but I guess I'm looking for some type of feeling in what I'm shooting. Whether it be a moment between a group of people, a facial expression, some type of funny, strange, or exciting scene happening in the street, I love it. It’s an addictive habit.  R: Do you know Saul Leiter? T: I do know him, I don't know a ton of his work or have any of his books. But what I've seen I really enjoy. R: You know he's a Pittsburgh guy? I think he's gonna he's gonna have another moment once people discover that. People in this town go crazy for people from this town.  T: Have you seen the Elliot Erwitt book of Pittsburgh? R: Oh they're totally fantastic, yeah T: They're so great. He just wandered all over the city. I love it. His book “Pittsburgh 1950” is incredible. R: He catches the city at a certain point of transition and now we're at another point of transition. And you're on those same streets capturing similar scenes 70 years later. How is the city changing now? T: It’s changed a lot. I've been here eight years now - and it seems like everything's changed. The people are different. They’re not as old. It’s a younger crowd downtown during the day and I guess to add to that some of people that are left aren't always in the best circumstances. It also seems like a lot of businesses are moving out and fancier places are moving in. I mean there's still like the OG Pittsburghers, the Yinzers and whatnot but there are less and less of them I think as time goes on. I hope Pittsburgh doesn’t lose its identity.  R: So, with your subject being people in and interacting with the urban environment I imagine you're well tuned to feel changes in people's behavior be it from seasons changing or from global pandemic... what's going on, what are you seeing? T: People are even more to themselves than normal. There's more tension when taking photos downtown as of right now because a lot of the people left down there are sadly in a rough situation. There aren’t a whole lot of people either. I was downtown today and it was like a ghost town. I mean I made a few pictures but I think it’ll change how I do things. Social distancing and getting close to people doesn’t mix real well so I switched to a longer lens for the time being. I’ve been focusing more on signs about the pandemic, people wearing masks, photographing from the car and just in general things I wouldn’t normally look for.    |
