Exploring Media: Digital Photo Album

The smell often hits first. The stench bounces off the subway walls and can be followed like a trail of breadcrumbs. Some passersby pull their scarves up into their faces. Others question each other about the reeking alleys, making no qualms about their whispers and scrunching noses. Eventually, the scene of the smell is reached. As they walk by, some give a passing glance. Some look straight ahead, afraid of looking at something they dare not see. Very few stop.

They're used to it. They're used to being given a cold shoulder, a blank stare, or a sigh of contempt. No one likes to be confronted with poverty, uncleanliness, mental illness, or addiction. No one wants to acknowledge that a society like ours can allow people to live on the street, beg for their food, and collect enough cash in a Tim Horton's cup to buy their next hit. No one wants to accept the fact that, in a city such as Montreal, very few individuals choose to be homeless. However, their presence in the nooks and crannies of our concrete jungle forces us to see that all is not well with the world.

The creation of this digital photo album was to share something about myself. Well, every day as I take the metro or walk to school, I am confronted by the reality of life in the streets. I try to look closely. For me, there is nothing to shy away from. I do not feel guilty. I do not feel shame. I do not feel sadness, necessarily. What I do feel is a burning sense of injustice. That part of me, that fury in my soul, is the part of me I want to share with the viewer. It is the section of my mind that rejects social inequality. It is the slice of heart that fights against the prejudices that we have all been socially warped to hold.

Every subject in my photo is someone who I encountered while meandering through the metro system. I admit I sometimes had to go somewhat out of my way to photograph these individuals. But is it difficult to notice them? It certainly should not be. Homelessness surrounds us. But, what is most disconcerting is that many people have, in fact, become so accustomed to seeing such despair that they are unmoved. Destitution has merged into the backdrop of the city instead of standing starkly against the wealth of our nation. Yes, some homeless people are addicted. Yes, some are mentally ill. Yes, indeed, some even choose to live in the streets. But the question I ask myself when I encounter them, and the question that raises itself from any level of critical analysis, is: What is wrong within our society that forces people to reject being part of it, be it a willing abandonment or not?

I hope that this digital photo album gives viewers a chance to reflect on the questions that this topic generates. One may not think that one is affected by the wellbeing of all, but a close revision of history will show otherwise.