A project pairing photographs with audio recordings of the people and atmosphere in which they were captured by Brooklyn-based filmmaker and artist Derek Beck (previously featured here). Each instalment of the project involves shooting a single roll of 35mm film while walking a random route through a city or interviewing a subject, the first of which was started over 10 years ago:
“I was playing tourist after living in New York City for five years, and went to Central Park on a freezer cold Saturday afternoon. After walking through the Ramble in Central Park, and overhearing snippets of passing conversations, I arrived at these benches and sat down for a breather. I had my Canon AE-1 35mm camera with me and was struck with an idea. I took out my iPhone, started recording audio, put it in my jacket pocket, and took a photo of the benches”
Since then, Beck has shot 50 rolls of film, traversed 40 different cities, met hundreds of strangers and walked countless miles. And he doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. Returning to the city he first started shooting back in 2016, Beck plans to revamp the project shooting new rolls throughout the five boroughs (with three released so far), revisiting certain locations from before and capturing new moments too.
There’s an unmistakable sincerity to Beck’s work, and at a time when social platforms continue to drift away from still imagery in favour of video, it offers a refreshing and thoughtful way of experiencing photography.
