Artifact of an Emergency is a photographic exploration of emergency infrastructure that has faded into the background of everyday life, objects such as broken alarm boxes, a shuttered Civil Defense Control Center, outdated evacuation signage, battered Evacuspots, and discarded safety gear. These remnants of urgency persist in public spaces long after the crisis has passed, becoming visual artifacts of interrupted care, institutional neglect, and collective fatigue. Through this work, I examine the tension between visibility and abandonment, asking what it means when systems designed to protect us are left to decay, and what their quiet, lingering presence continues to communicate.
New Orleans Sky Line with Blue Roof, 07-19-2025
Drainage Repair, Birch Street, 07-14-2025
Tulane Avenue, 07-15-2025
Three Bridges, 07-06-2025
This project is rooted in both my personal history and my broader interests as a visual communicator and cultural worker in New Orleans. With over a decade of experience at the intersection of design, preservation, and public service, I’m drawn to the ways places hold memory, not only in architecture, but in signage, warnings, and forgotten systems. I photograph these objects at dawn, dusk, and under overcast skies to heighten their haunting, liminal presence, using natural light and a subdued color palette to evoke a quiet sense of unease. This work is influenced by photographers Christopher Herwig and Ed Panar, whose documentary approaches to the vernacular landscape inspired me to approach these overlooked remnants with a similar sense of reverence and curiosity. Artifact of an Emergency invites viewers to reflect on what is left behind after the moment of crisis, what stories these neglected objects still tell, and how we might better prepare for what’s to come.
Danziger Bridge, 07-06-2025
Evacuation Sign, Orleans Avenue, 07-19-2025
Civil Defense Control Center, 07-26-2025
Civil Defense Control Center Door, 07-26-2025
Drainage Repair, Adams Street, 07-14-2025
Civil Defense Control Center, 07-26-2025
