Working From Home in a Home Being Renovated During the Covid-19 Quarantine – 1814 Residency Part III

Another image from the 1814 Residency! Click here to see the first, where I talk about what this residency is. And here is the second.

The short version – my girlfriend and I bought a house four weeks before the world ended. It’s a fixer-upper, which is what we wanted.  However, we didn’t adjust our renovation schedule at all, so it’s also a rather uncomfortable construction zone. I certainly didn’t anticipate having to immediately shelter in place here for a long quarantine.

While my studio building is technically open (Jasper Studios), I have not been there much since mid-March. I am managing both my commercial photography studio and my fine arts practice from our home. While my commercial studio is definitely getting it’s fair share of attention right now, I’ve also decided to devote real time to my artwork as well. I’m calling it the 1814 Residency (our street address). It’s very prestigious. There has only ever been one awardee.

This work was shot in the overgrown alley behind our house. I previously wrote a rather in-depth piece about using pinhole and landscape photography as a way to comment on waste and consumer culture. I hope you’ll consider viewing this other work as well. I decided to revisit the ideas behind that project, and produced this image using a can found in the alleyway.

Stay tuned for more work from the residency!  And if you’re interested in watching two people learn-by-doing through a renovation of a small South Philadelphia row home (mixed in with real work, iPhone shots, and the occasional #windowcat), please follow me on Instagram!

-Matt