DOUG DUBOIS - My Last Day At Seventeen - New York: Aperture, 2015.
Doug DuBois foi apresentado a um grupo de adolescentes do bairro residencial de Russell Heights enquanto ele era um artista residente no Sirius Arts Centre em Cobh, na costa sudoeste da Irlanda. Ele era fascinado pelo bairro insular, em que “todo mundo parece ser primo, ex-namorada ou cônjuge de alguém. Poucas coisas podem acontecer lá que não sejam vistas, discutidas, distorcidas além de qualquer razão e ferozmente defendidas contra qualquer desaprovação de fora. ” DuBois conseguiu entrar quando Kevin e Erin (dois participantes de um workshop que ele ministrou) o levaram a um ponto de encontro local, abrindo seus olhos para um mundo de não exatamente adultos lutando - pública e privadamente - nos últimos dias de sua infância. Ao longo de cinco anos, DuBois voltou a Russell Heights. Pessoas iam e vinham, relacionamentos formados e dissolvidos e bebês nasciam. Combinando retratos, encontros espontâneos e performances colaborativas, as imagens em My Last Day at Seventeen existem em um delicado equilíbrio entre documentário e ficção.
Aperture
Doug DuBois was first introduced to a group of teenagers from the Russell Heights housing estate while he was an artist-in-residence at the Sirius Arts Centre in Cobh, on the southwest coast of Ireland. He was fascinated by the insular neighborhood, in which “everyone seems to be someone’s cousin, former girlfriend, or spouse. Little can happen there that isn’t seen, discussed, distorted beyond all reason, and fiercely defended against any disapprobation from the outside.” DuBois gained entry when Kevin and Erin (two participants of a workshop he taught) took him to a local hangout spot, opening his eyes to a world of not-quite-adults struggling-publicly and privately-through the last days of their childhood. Over the course of five years, DuBois returned to Russell Heights. People came and left, relationships formed and dissolved, and babies were born. Combining portraits, spontaneous encounters, and collaborative performances, the images in My Last Day at Seventeen exist in a delicate balance between documentary and fiction.
Aperture