Monday, September 26, 2005

Highway 90 Debris Field


Debris stretches from the highway to the horizon along old Route 90 from New Orleans to Slidell, LA. Normally this marsh would be green reeds to the horizon. That brownish sludge in the lower right corner of the photograph is what's left of the reeds.

For scale: The little round circle in the lower left foreground? That's a tabletop, like you'd have on a backyard deck. That little white dot in the middle of the horizon? An overturned shrimp boat.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've watched the news. I've seen the pictures. I've read the blogs dealing with the aftermath of Katrina- and still had felt disconnected from the situation.

Living in New York is living in an alternative universe.

I stumbled upon yours and it finally became real....

clayton cubitt said...

Thank you. And I'm sorry.

Anonymous said...

I agree (with Rachel), I work in a newsroom...picture editing even. I hate to say it but I think to a great extent a lot of us have become desensitized to powerful imagery. Your story is powerful and real and personal.

Anonymous said...

Holy Fucking Shit.

I'm sitting here at work (paid, comfortable and air conditioned) feeling like a real piece of shit. Alternatively devoted and sobbing, feeling like I've found a family I want to be a part of, or at least a real kinship, feeling like shit for not paying closer attention to the family I have, feeling like a real asshole for having gone and grown up beyond them, and being ashamed of their fucked-up-ness and weirdness.

Eden can come back, and I want to bring my hammer. I want to meet your mom, and bring mine down. I want to work on rebuilding your families house, and offer to do so - I don't need to spend a bunch of cash flying home for the holidays, and bitching the whole time - I'd rather come help you guys rebuild. And I think my family would understand - hell, they'll probably want to come.

This is the most stunning work I've come across bar none.

A note for your momma - you can not be deprived of your dignity. Dignity lasts as long as you, as long as the people you tough and helped build remember you... Dignity can get the holy crap beaten out of it, and get all smashed down into some ratty little corner of your soul. But dignity burns, and dignity will come roaring back, or seeping, because it is transcendent - and so are you. I look forward to helping you rebuild, and introducing my big momma to your awesome, and awe-inspiring, family.