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Urban Landscape For several years the focus of my work has been examining and photographing the urban/industrial communities throughout Northeast Ohio. The goal has always been to convey more about the human condition than literal depiction of the urban landscape. The opportunity to create a body of work for The George Gund Foundation was a very welcome extension of things I had been looking at for a very long time. Living and working in these city neighborhoods has always been vital to me. Daily observations of a population and its geography have many advantages. Distinctive characteristics of a district are celebrated in simple everyday activities like shopping for food or clothing, gathering at a place of worship, or participating in some form of semi-organized recreation. The integrity of generations of families and their experiences become evident in the imagery. It allows one to see greatness in the imperfections. Places that appear unfrequented or dejected glow with the transience of life. We see things that are important to us for as long or short as their existence allows. The equipment used to capture this sense of place was simple and primitive. Images produced using a pinhole camera possess an added dimension that allows them to be lyrical and introspective. The often lengthy exposures required to produce an image literally compress time, while the remarkable depth of field obtained by using this camera records a great deal of information in a single exposure. The end result is a body of work that embraces and celebrates everyday urban experiences. It is something that demonstrates progress without boosterism and exhibits a balanced view of transition and the evolution of a community. It is also a photographic essay that depicts The George Gund Foundation's advancement of human welfare as well as the pressing social issues of our time.
About Douglas Lucak Douglas Lucak is best known for photographs of his native Cleveland. Although he began working with a panoramic camera, he has since relied on pinhole cameras he fashions himself. The small prints he creates evoke haunting feelings of abandonment and danger, often associated with the decaying urban environment. He frequently enhances the inherent moody and atmospheric qualities of his images by adding shades of toner.
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