Untitled (117th Street, Harlem, New York) 1975

Here we have Shawn Walker's photograph, Untitled (117th Street, Harlem, New York). Walker is working with the elusive and temporal nature of images, focusing on the process of capturing a fleeting moment. The photograph is black and white, with shades and textures that suggest movement and depth. There’s a figure draped in white, almost ghostly, set against the darkness of what I assume is 117th street. The image is blurred, emphasizing a feeling of transience, as if the figure is moving too fast to be fully grasped. Walker uses the materiality of photography not to show things as they are, but to convey a sense of feeling, a state of being. Look at the way the white fabric seems to float, almost detached from the body beneath it; this adds to the ethereal quality of the photograph. It reminds me a little of the work of Roy DeCarava in its focus on Black life, but it could also be compared to the surrealist photography of someone like Man Ray, who experimented with light and shadow to create new ways of seeing. Ultimately, Walker leaves the image open to interpretation, reflecting the many stories that can be found on the streets of Harlem.