PETER BALOGH: URBAN SURFACE SERIES 1 NO. 2
August 21, 2011 Leave a Comment
San Francisco, 2011
ABOUT THE URBAN SURFACE SERIES:
The Urban Surface Series is a photographic narrative project by Tenderloin resident and artist Peter Balogh. Using an old-fashioned wooden pinhole camera, Peter has provided a visual soundtrack to his personal musings on interactions with Tenderloin residents and characters. He has kindly allowed TLRS to repost this series. You can see more of his work here.
She looks like a grandmother who ended up living on the street.
She is always by the entrance of the same store, sitting on the sidewalk. Unless she is going somewhere, she takes her shoes off and puts them by her side. I don’t know, why. Her stomach looks unnaturally large, but this is because she carries all her things stuffed under her sweater.
I don’t know what to think about her. I have seen her having a normal conversation with people, but other times she just blurts out random things at everyone who pass by. I have seen her eating a pile of rice off the sidewalk or emptying her bowels on the curb, but also having a good laugh with people, in a genuine way.
She was just walking around when I asked if I could take a picture of her. She said “Okay”, and sat down. I told her about the extra time I will need with my camera, and then set up quickly across from her.
While I took the first picture, she kept turning her head and body away, then back. I asked her to be still, but she didn’t stop, as if she couldn’t decide to be in the picture or not. I tried to take a second picture, but she simply turned away.
I didn’t want to disturb her too long. I gave her some change and wished her good luck.
“Thank you”, she said, and smiled. Her face had sharp, distinctive features.
-PB
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Zero 135 camera by Zero Image, Kodak Professional 125 PX film
