Bridge Over Flint 24

Matthew Brandt, American, born 1982

Bridge Over Flint 24, 2016

This photo depicts a bridge over the Flint River, the primary water source for the city of Flint, Michigan. As of 2014, the water of the Flint River has been used as the primary water supply for the city of Flint. In the years since, the people of Flint have faced lead poisoning, outbreaks of disease, and severe financial damage because of the poisoned water and the shoddy infrastructure and governmental misconduct that poisoned it. In this image, Matthew Brandt plainly represents the often invisible dangers of Flint’s water to viewers in the discoloration of the image. Brandt developed the image with tap water from Flint as well as other substances to create this damaged and ominous effect. Brandt connects physically and visually connects Flint’s poisoned tap water with the river it comes from as well as with local infrastructure to demonstrate to viewers the dangers of Flint’s water as well as the reason it is so dangerous. Label by Caitlin Blomo

Bridge over Flint 8

Matthew Brandt, American, born 1982

Bridge over Flint 8, 2016

This photograph is part of American photographer Matthew Brandt’s “Bridges Over Flint” project in which Brandt developed the photographs using a solution that includes Flint, Michigan, tap water. His series incorporates photographs of numerous locations around Flint in black and white developed with the tap water solution. As a result of the lead and other toxins in Flint’s water, the image is distorted through the development process. This mirrors the way in which the people of Flint are also affected—developed—by their interactions with the water and the deleterious effects it has had (and continues to have) on their health as well as the city more broadly. It seems significant to me that the photographs are of bridges in particular as they one remind me of Pauli’s reflection(s) on how he tried to build bridges within the Flint community and the ways that bridges serve as infrastructural linkages between potentially disparate populations. Label by Jay Jolles

Developed using lead-contaminated tap water from the photographed location of Flint, Michigan, Matthew Brandt’s Bridge Over Flint 24 shows a nearly unidentifiable bridge across a small river with trees on the embankments on either side. The distortion of the photo and it’s edges is intense, looking almost as though it was singed in a fire. Rather than flames, though, the photo’s visual corruption comes from the byproduct of Flint’s own political corruption: residential water so contaminated with lead as to be completely unsafe and unusable. By employing the invisible danger in his work, Brandt makes visible, quite literally, the destructive nature of lead. Label by Lia Deasy

Stepping Stone Falls 3 Y3M1C2

Matthew Brandt, American, born 1982

Stepping Stone Falls 3 Y3M1C2, 2016

When the city of Flint, Michigan switched its water source to the local Flint River in April of 2014, its underprepared water treatment plant failed to treat the water correctly, leading to contamination by lead and dangerous bacteria to make its way into residents’ homes. Brandt’s photo series Waterfalls (Stepping Stone Falls) depicts the architecture of the Flint River dam behind the vivid yet ominous colors and patterns generated by their exposure to water from the Flint River. By using materials found on-location, Brandt both experiments with his artistic process and comments on the ongoing water crisis in Flint. Label by Sarah Roberts

This piece shows the Flint River Dam in Flint, Michigan. Brandt used the toxic river water to develop the image and create unique water marks on the paper. This piece was intended to be shown using a lightbox to emphasize the moment and vibrancy of the river. However, I believe this piece is compelling because it is a metaphor for the way in which America has viewed Flint. The bright colors are easily scanned over, but the deeper and industrial background of the polluted river being choked by the dam is murky. The real problem in this piece can easily be ignored if you aren’t looking closely. Similarly, the lack of clean drinking water in Flint is easily ignored by the public, especially as the 24-hour news cycle deems the story as last week’s headline. Label by Sam Dutilly

NGC 6853 (Night Skies)

Matthew Brandt, American, born 1982

NGC 6853 (Night Skies), 2016

This photograph is of one of Matthew Brandt’s displays, NGC 6853, in his series, Night Skies. While this series appears to be made out of a series of prints, these are actually backdrops of black velvet that have had cocaine spilt onto them. This display symbolizes deception through the use of natural objects. Similar to the way that after filtration, water may appear clear even though it is contaminated, this display at first looks like a print meant to capture the beauty of a clear night sky however, it is actually made up of a toxic drug with the ability to poison, kill, and ruin lives. Label by Jordan Stofko