Humanizing homeless and discussing the stigmas surrounding it.
Erika Kutalia
“Pooring rain” is an art exhibit about people who are less fortunate. This project invokes people to stop stigmatising homelessness and instead propose to look at it from a different perspective. As someone who has experienced both sides of the wealth spectrum, I understand the importance of giving back to people who are in need.
On my way to school I see so many homeless people and I often try to help them by giving money or buying them food, however not many people do this on a regular basis. Due to the stereotypes surrounding the subject of homelessness, some individuals fear an even hate homeless people. popular stereotypes suggest that homeless people are violent, lazy, drug and alcohol abusers, mentally ill and overall unstable. These stigmas have resulted in overlooking and ignoring the issue at hand. According to statistics from “Social Solutions” over a million people were living on the streets. These numbers are shocking as it shows how common this issue has become.
In order to discuss this issue, I aim to create three different portraits of individuals living on the street. I also plan on recording interviews with these people and let them play next to the photographs. By doing this the viewer can get up close and personal with the subjects of my photos. I want to give the voice to those who have been left unheard for so long. Through this process of humanising the subject, I believe I can change the mindset of the viewer.
Initially, for my interview, I planned a structured questioner for homeless people to answer. However, as I gave it more thought, I realised that if I talked to the individuals face to face it would allow me to have a deeper connection to the person as I learn their their story.I know that allowing them to get loose and feel free from the pressure of prepared questions will truly allow me to get to know the person to some extent. Ultimately, I wanted them to feel as if they are talking to a friend.
I have decided to split the interview into two main parts. First I would ask them to introduce themselves. This included learning the name, age, place of birth etc. `in the second section I would ask, “What can people do to help you?”. I hope that this question would give insight into the personal struggles that the individual faced on a daily basis.
One of the most mentally impactful experience that I have had was with a twenty four year old man named Fire. I met Fire in Union Square. This location is significant because is it a major social hub in New York; additionally, I pass this square everyday on my way to school. I have grown familiar with many of the homeless people who hang out, although I had not spoken to any of the to a personal extent. I was nervous to talk to Fire because I did not want to intrude or seem rude. Before approaching him, I observed him. I noticed that he was extremely calm as he rearranged his sleeping space. He was wearing a colourful scarf and a bucket hat, he seemed pretty relaxed as he enjoyed listening to music playing in his headphones. I assessed that he would be a good candidate for this project. From talking with Fire I learned that he moved here years ago after having a fall out with his family due to the divide between personal beliefs. He is currently trying to get into biotech because he has a passion for science and he built his own water filter to filter out the impurities of the street water. He discussed how he believed that individuals could help the issues facing homeless people by educating themselves and being less close-minded. He argued that many people choose to blame homeless people the misfortune that they endure when the problem can be traced the system in place. He argued that stigmas further creates a divide and makes people less willing to help. He explained that he felt like he had no one there too turn to and get the support he needs, this included shelters. I found it was somewhat difficult to talk to him because he went on tangents. From this interaction I learned that we should stop assuming that homeless people are uneducated and have no goals to achieve. I understood why he felt cheated and misunderstood. The manner in which he spoke implied his anger towards the in which the government assess the homeless problems facing the nation. He argued that the government were not prioritising homelessness despite its rapid expansion.
As I began to do the photo portion of this assignment I kept in mind the ideas and concepts discussed in Fire’s interview. I chose to take the photos of Fire in the space that he had been living. I did this a way of providing context to the viewers. Additionally by showing the items it demonstrates his specific values. Fire had pillows, a sign, clothes, and more. One item in his collection that I found to be interesting was an American flag. I found this to be almost ironic because he had previously expressed his distaste with the government. Inspire of this me not only carried it with him he had it hung up on his set up. You can see the flag in the back of the full body photo. The flag is in the back and barely visible. This placement suggest Fires own belief of how little government is doing to provide aid. Another aspect that I found to be interesting with in the photograph was his shawl. In the photo the shawl vaguely resembles a cape. I found this aspect to add to the overall concept of the piece. The heroic aspect implies reliance and strength, to things needed in order to survive on the street.
The reality is that our society dehumanises homeless people simply by looking at them. I want to change their perspective and make people support each other and I feel like this project will allow me to do so.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
https://www.socialsolutions.com/blog/2016-homelessness-statistics/
An article discussing statistics relating to homelessness
