For this installation, I decided it was time to go deeper in my homage to Boston. I have previously celebrated the city I love in my work, but this time I decided to research how the Boston of today came to be as that is the best indicator to where it is going. So began my research.

I decided to focus on the downtown area so that I could do justice in representing it rather than spreading myself thin trying to encompass all of Boston on the timeframe allotted. Once I determined the areas I decided to make “cobblestones” for, to tell the story visually and through texture, the research phase began. Through numerous field trips, interviews with residents and workers, photography expeditions and more, the story of each neighborhood started to emerge. Everything was a point of interest from the architecture, to the people, signage and even the construction markings on the ground. I designed a unique style for each neighborhood and then transferred these designs to wood pieces cut to the exact size and shape of the cobblestones dug up in the big dig reconstruction of  Boston.

I found as is the case with all beautiful things, there is a degree of ugliness in the past.

In all major cities, the neighborhoods are constantly evolving, the question is: is it for the better?” Sometimes what looks like advancement raises the question: Is this really better than the community that already exists? This was truly exemplified in the West End. In showcasing the West End I choose to let the displaced community, which is a group of people who are dedicated to maintaining their connection to their former home, tell their own story. The cobblestone of this neighborhood are excerpts from their local newsletter.