The Ghosts of Place: Using Imagery to Reveal a Story
In his show, “On This Site,” photographer Joel Sternfeld displayed fifty places in America where violence occurred. His photographs show these locations years after the tragedy has passed, so the scenes often look disturbingly ordinary despite the horrifying nature of what occurred there. For example, you will see the photograph above very differently once you learn that this is where the teenage girl, Jennifer Levin, was found strangled.
Years ago, after seeing Sternfeld’s exhibition at The Art Institute of Chicago, I wrote this poem:
Reading the short text that describes what occurred at each site in Sternfeld’s collection, viewers often finds themselves transfixed by the way knowledge of the event changes the way we perceive what we see.
Using one of Sternfeld’s images, answer the questions below. (If you are in class, you can use the images I will provide. If you are at home, just Google Sternfeld’s name.) When you are done, arrange your answers into a poem. As you answer the questions, choose words that suggest what occurred at the site, but avoid spelling out exactly what happened.
1) What do you see in this place? Name the objects here. If there are trees or shrubs, identify what kind. What do these objects remind you of? What are they like?
2) What do you smell when you take a deep breath here? What does this experience remind you of?
3) What do you hear in this place? What do these sounds bring to mind?
4) What memories and thoughts does this place trigger for you?
5) What questions does this place leave unanswered?
Feel free to add ideas about things you MIGHT see in this place even if they are not really there, and answer other questions that come up as you look at the image in Sternfeld’s photograph.
If you are in my class, write your poem using Medium and include your photograph as a picture at the top of your post. (Don’t forget to do a photo credit like this: (Photo credit: Joel Sternfeld). Share a link to your post in our Schoology update feed, and print a copy of your poem to include in your raw pages. We’ll look at these together tomorrow.
