Local Photographer
The last week of December 2019, I went to my hometown of Moline, Illinois. Staring out my grandmother’s windows and front door, onto a block where she has lived for more than 50 years, then moving across the street about 10 years ago to a smaller, more manageable house, I thought to myself, “I need to go shoot.” I grabbed my camera and wandered the streets and alleys where I spent my early childhood with my brother and cousins, who grew up on the same few blocks. Walking around, my goal in shooting was to look for both the views that were either sentimental in some form or had some Midwestern aesthetic tone. A few accomplished both.
When people ask me where I’m from, I simply reply “Illinoisnotchicago.” The state, besides Chicago, is like much of the Midwest, the stereotypical flyover space to people on the coasts refer to and the place every four years where national political candidates laud as being the “real America” and the “heartland” while briefly speaking to Generic Diner Customers. And that Generic Diner title is something to be proud of. There is nothing bougie or fancy about the non-major metropolitan areas of the Midwest. But it something you crave, or at least have fond memories of. The cheese in the macaroni and cheese is one variety and there is no bragging about its flavor profiles. No one is putting raisins in the potato salad. Pork tenderloins must be at least the diameter of a human head. Meat and potatoes is dinner and no one is going to complain.
Backyards
Green and Pink
It Has Always Looked Like This
Paternal Twins
Blue House with a Red Door
Moline is part of the Quad City Area, a region containing [more than] four cities in Illinois and Iowa, split by the Mississippi River. It never seems to be a well-known area as I try to explain it to people, however every once in a while, no matter what part of the country I happen to be in, someone has some connection to it. It must be the Uncle-In-Ohio Syndrome that the Midwest brings to the rest of the country. Just as urban developers have copied off each other’s homework when designing new housing now, the same thing seems to have been done in my grandmother’s neighborhood. Tube televisions that took up a lot of space in a living room have been replaced by flat screens that can be easily mounted to a wall, the cars and trucks now are not built to withstand a nuclear apocalypse, and there are many more options in vinyl siding (there are a lot of local commercials for vinyl siding). That said, the uniformity remains; like the Midwestern ethos, it is pragmatic, simple in form, and exudes humility.
The Synapses of Nostalgia I Had Here…
I was looking forward to shooting more photos during a planned trip in April 2020. Unfortunately, Covid-19 was spread across the world and all plans have been postponed. With that said, I cannot wait to build upon these photos when I return, to both have more from the area and hopefully have improved views and perspectives.