A new photography exhibit at Fair Trade Cafe in Phoenix showcases the lives and stories of Light Rail travelers, as seen through the lens of an ASU student.
Photography junior and local artist Sean Deckert said the creation of the series “Traveling with Strangers: Portraits from the Light Rail” originally evolved from a school project that’s continued into the summer.
“I ride the Light Rail to school every day,” Deckert said. “It was initially fun for me just wanting to kind of break that barrier of silence that mass transit systems have.”
Deckert mentioned that the common scene on the Light Rail consists of people reading books and staring off into space.
“People are sitting there, not really talking to each other. There’s no engagement,” Deckert said.
Armed with a small, unobtrusive 35mm film camera, Deckert boarded the Light Rail with a couple of simple goals: Become acquainted with total strangers and take their picture.
He said he began introducing himself to people between stops and making small talk, exchanging a few pleasantries before asking to click his shutter.
“It’s a lot about the different demographics that ride the Light Rail. Because unlike the bus or other mass transit systems, everybody rides the Light Rail,” Deckert said.
The exhibit consists of several black-and-white photographs of Light Rail riders on their own journeys, accompanied by a few sentences that explain who they are and why they use the transport.
“I’ve met everybody from crazy people, homeless people, high-end lawyers, teachers at the University down to students and everybody in between,” Deckert said. “There are no barriers of social class that prevent people from riding this Light Rail. It’s kind of weird that this is the only place where all of these people are together, and they don’t ever talk to each other. They don’t ever meet each other. It’s like all of the worlds combine.”
Deckert said the basic messages he hopes people understand is not to judge a book by its cover.
Fair Trade Cafe employee Cristina D’Ambrosio said she enjoys Deckert’s art and that it conveys a message not often seen in the community.
“It speaks to greater working class life and existence in the metropolitan area of Phoenix,” D’Ambrosio said. “I think he exposes that to the public in a way that’s very beautiful.”
The exhibit will run through the end of the month at Fair Trade Cafe, conveniently located across the street from the Roosevelt Light Rail station near First Avenue and Roosevelt Street. Fair Trade Cafe is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Reach the reporter at joseph.schmidt@asu.edu
