The Children is a photomontage fusion of the lives and stories of 3 formidable women, each of whom worked, in their own manner, to protect children and make the world a better place: Leigh Buchanan Bienen, friend and colleague for nearly 20 years, some of whose work focuses on the reformer, Florence Kelley, whose work is chronicled in Florence Kelley and the Children: Factory Inspector in 1890s Chicago; and Glennie Blackshire, who worked as editor for the publication In These Times when they broke the Iran-Contra story.
The primary image is of an historical photo resembling Glennie, set in a montage of historical images focused on the lives of children in the early 20th century, drawn from the Chicago Daily News 1902-1933 collection. Upper-right is a photo of a the 2013 Dhaka garment factory collapse in which 1,134 people died, showing how little working conditions—and the lives of children—have improved since a similar disaster 102 years earlier in NYC, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, in which 146 died from the fire, smoke inhalation, or falling or jumping to their deaths.
My stepson, Dante Tenzin Fields appears pensively next to the leapfrogging boys, reminder of all the challenges looming in front of our successors.
The text, taken from the 1894 Report by Florence Kelley’s team, draws attention to yet another connection between the past and present: a smallpox epidemic was raging through Chicago in the 1890s, and fear of vaccination—especially in poorer neighborhoods—contributed to the spread.
An immersive video experience on an extremely-difficult-to-photograph piece (convex glass, liquid plastic, sparkles):
Materials: Antique frame with convex glass; liquid plastic and sparkles; antique photo montaged with photos from the Chicago Daily News 1902-1933 collection, the 2013 Dhaka garment factory collapse and upper-left face of Glennie Blackshire
Dimensions: 38.5cm x 46cm x 3cm, 1.5kg
