Uploaded April 2013 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The dark light of this nothing: The title of this body comes from the words of the philosopher Derrida that reflect on the experience of the loss of the Other, or the absence of "what I myself am not".
"Upon the death of the other we are given to memory, and thus to interiorization, since the other, outside us, is now nothing. And with the dark light of this nothing, we learn that the other resists the closure of our interiorizing memory."
Though the Park Slope area of Brooklyn, New York is no stranger to change, the long term residents who have sustained the neighborhood for generations are now in an increasing minority. The "old guard" is losing their sense of community. A new, affluent population, drawn by Park Slope's popularity as one of America's ten best neighborhoods, is swiftly overshadowing the working class. This piece is meant as a tribute to the neighborhood's long term residents.
You can see the still photo essay here as well as a few pages for the maquette: ericamcdonaldphoto.com/#/new-york-city/the-dark-light-of-this-nothing/dl_joe_web
Photography and audio by Erica McDonald: ericamcdonaldphoto.com
Multimedia by DEVELOP Photo: vimeo.com/developphoto
The DEVELOP Tube Photography Video Channel is an educational resource which features interviews, profiles, lectures and films about photojournalism, fine art and documentary photography. Find us on Vimeo too.
The dark light of this nothing: The title of this body comes from the words of the philosopher Derrida that reflect on the experience of the loss of the Other, or the absence of "what I myself am not".
"Upon the death of the other we are given to memory, and thus to interiorization, since the other, outside us, is now nothing. And with the dark light of this nothing, we learn that the other resists the closure of our interiorizing memory."
Though the Park Slope area of Brooklyn, New York is no stranger to change, the long term residents who have sustained the neighborhood for generations are now in an increasing minority. The "old guard" is losing their sense of community. A new, affluent population, drawn by Park Slope's popularity as one of America's ten best neighborhoods, is swiftly overshadowing the working class. This piece is meant as a tribute to the neighborhood's long term residents.
You can see the still photo essay here as well as a few pages for the maquette: ericamcdonaldphoto.com/#/new-york-city/the-dark-light-of-this-nothing/dl_joe_web
Photography and audio by Erica McDonald: ericamcdonaldphoto.com
Multimedia by DEVELOP Photo: vimeo.com/developphoto
The DEVELOP Tube Photography Video Channel is an educational resource which features interviews, profiles, lectures and films about photojournalism, fine art and documentary photography. Find us on Vimeo too.
