Kensington Blues
- Words
- Caroline Kurze
Kensington Blues is a photography project by Jeffrey Stockbridge focusing on the residents who live along Kensington Avenue in North Philadelphia. During the nineteenth century Kensington Avenue was a symbol of prosperity- nationally recognized as a leader in the textile industry.
+ Read MoreToday, Kensington Avenue is infamous for poverty, drug abuse and prostitution. Drugs such as Heroin, Crack and Xanax are sold out in the open. Addicts sell clean needles for a dollar a piece and prostitution has become a social norm. With the El train roaring overhead, Kensington Ave is in a state of perpetual hustle. Working with a 4×5 camera, Jeffrey has deliberately chosen a slow photographic process in order to slow down the rapid speed of life as it happens along the Ave. His work asks: ‘How do people survive the neighborhood and themselves?’ Jeffrey explores this theme with photography and first-person narratives of his subjects via audio recordings and journal entries.
All images © Jeffrey Stockbridge
