Part I: Local photographer tells Detroit's stories through images

Photo essayists like Kevin Bauman and the team Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre provide melancholy yet hauntingly beautiful portrayals of Detroit’s decay in their work. Their stories, while admittedly depressing, have a firm basis in reality.

Forty-two years later, the city of Detroit has not quite recovered from the 1967 Riots and the subsequent middle-class exodus to the suburbs. Blight is a very real component of the city’s geographic and mental landscape. But, it is only one story within Detroit’s multi-tiered overall story. In his new photography exhibit, ALPHA: Genesis of a Dream, photographer Khalid el-Hakim provides some of Detroit’s more inspiring images.

The photographs are a study in contrasts: shadow and light, decay and beauty, and nature and industry. El-Hakim shows an unflinching yet compassionate view of the city while weaving in Islam, Hip Hop and Detroit’s human and architectural icons – sometimes simultaneously. This study of contrasts is particularly moving in the photograph, “In Memoriam: Deletha Word.”

In 1995, 19 year old Martell Welch was sentenced to jail for murder in the drowning death of 33 year old Deletha Word. According to published reports, Word was stripped and beaten in a crowd of on-lookers before jumping into the Detroit River. El-Hakim’s photograph captures the site of her death.

“The Belle Isle Bridge is a beautiful bridge. Because we live in Detroit, we sometimes take for granted the beauty that is right in our backyard,” says el-Hakim. “However, going across the bridge I am always mindful of one of the most horrific events that happened on that bridge. In this photo I pay tribute to Deletha Word who enjoyed this bridge as many Detroiters do. But, the bridge is a constant reminder to me that this is where her life ended.”

Other studies in contrast include the sweet-faced girl holding a dandelion in front of a dilapidated building in “Islam is the New Black.” In what could be termed a companion piece, an earnest young man sits clutching prayer beads in the midst of blight in “Hip-Hop’s New Movement.” Both pieces feature young people and communicate hope in the midst of trouble.

“I am very conscious of the kind of subjects and content I shoot. My goal is to change people’s perspective of how they see the world around them and hopefully send positive messages that inspire people to see beauty where they least expect it.”

ALPHA: Genesis of a Dream is on display at Artist Village, 17405 Lahser Road in Detroit’s Old Redford. The exhibit ends on August 9 with a closing reception from 3:00 until 8:00 p.m. For more information, contact Khalid el-Hakim directly at newrisingsun99@yahoo.com or by phone at (313) 645-4197. You can also contact Artist Village at http://www.blightbusters.org/artistvillage.html or at (313) 255-4355.

RELATED SITES:
Kevin Bauman’s site: http://www.100abandonedhouses.com/
Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre’s site: http://www.marchandmeffre.com/detroit/index01.html

DON'T MISS PART II TOMORROW:
Hip Hop, spirituality and nature converge in photographer’s debut exhibit