Detroit Walk-in Portrait Studio

The Detroit Walk-In Portrait Studio is an adaptation of August Sander’s monumental series ‘People of the 20th Century’ subverted into a present day American model. The project considers issues of community and cultural identity, gentrification and transition, by investigating Detroit’s neighborhood and grassroots movements.

I set up the first Walk-In Portrait Studio during the economic downturn in early 2009. The studio was improvised in a formerly foreclosed house on Klinger street. For five days, I welcomed people to be photographed and asked them to tell a story about the neighborhood. The project forged many new relationships, and has since been set up in dozens of locations around the city. I focused on individuals who were engaged in their respective communities, including grassroots activists, creatives, and members of subcultures. The portraits studio ran from 2009 until 2019 and – through its many evolutions and iterations – evolved into an extensive photographic archive of contemporary Detroiters.