Civil rights and Cybertrucks: searching for the real Atlanta

The Guardian

13-02-2025

The Makeshift City by Joshua Dudley Greer shows a contemporary Atlanta in a state of flux – both a unique city with a specific history and culture, and a generic American metropolis struggling to forge its identity. These photographs were taken between 2020-2024 during the pandemic, the rise of Black Lives Matter, struggles for abortion rights, increased income inequality and the Stop Cop City movement. The Makeshift City by Joshua Dudley Greer is available via GOST
Although the structure of the city changed dramatically during the period in which these photographs were taken, the systems which governed it often remained immutable. 'I watched people go about their daily lives in spite of everything that might act against them,' says Greer. 'There were times of resilience, activism, selflessness and joy. But there were also moments of banality, privilege and ignorance, even disdain. There is so much about Atlanta that I don't understand, and probably never will'
''Atlanta is not a real place' has been a commonly used expression on social media over the past few years. I sometimes thought about it as an unofficial mantra while I was making this work. While I often had certain political or historical motivations behind many of the photographs, it reminded me to also stay open to the present moment and to embrace the strange, wonderful and unpredictable spirit of this place'
'In 2018, the Masjid Al-Momineen was constructing a new mosque and would hold prayer outside to accommodate the overflow of practising Muslims during Ramadan. I set up my 4x5 camera just before mid-afternoon prayer, and a summer thunderstorm unleashed a downpour over the entire parking lot. It felt like no one ran or even lifted his head, so I was able to make this one photograph before my camera gear and film were soaked. In many ways, it was the image and the experience that convinced me to pursue a project about Atlanta'
'During Covid there were few places where it felt safe to go out in public but cemeteries became a common visiting spot for me. Oakland Cemetery was often quite lively and filled with people and special events so I found myself wandering around and people watching. As a site of the Civil war, Atlanta's history has almost been entirely erased from the landscape. There aren't many preserved sites or memorial plaques to acknowledge these events, so cemeteries are one of the few places that can offer a direct connection from the past to the present'
'The red-clay earth of the American South is such a deeply embedded visual trope in the history of photography. I couldn't resist photographing it here churned up by bulldozers to make way for luxury apartments'
'Once a prosperous street, Auburn Avenue was known for its commercial, spiritual and cultural contributions to African American progress. Dr Martin Luther King Jr was born here and preached locally. The 1950s and 60s saw desegregation and the construction of interstates, radically altering the neighbourhood. Sections have now fallen into such neglect that television and film studios have staged scenes of poverty, violence and dystopia here. Pictured are the cast and crew filming a scene from Alex Garland's aptly titled 2024 film Civil War'
'In early 2024, the Tesla Cybertruck was so rare and in such demand that folks in Atlanta were paying more than twice the suggested retail price – in some cases as much as $250,000 – for it. That same year, Atlanta was ranked worst in the nation for income inequality'
'Racialised gentrification has been dramatically altering the identity of Atlanta over the past 30 years. In 1990, the city's population was two-thirds Black, but by 2020, that figure was less than a half. Dan Immergluck, a professor at Georgia State University, wrote a book called Red Hot City about the intersection of race and housing in Atlanta, and it prompted me to try to picture some of the changes that are threatening historic neighbourhoods throughout the city'
'Last year, the United States Supreme Court ruled that US cities can enforce bans on homeless people sleeping outdoors even as nationwide homelessness grew a dramatic 12% to its highest reported level. Michael was one of many unhoused people who were forcefully removed from their encampments and this hollow den off the Downtown Connector was emptied and welded shut. Now when you pass by, you'll see an official sign that reads 'No Camping''
'This photograph was made in 2020 during lockdown, born out of sheer awe because I had never seen Midtown Atlanta without traffic before. I had no intentions of revisiting the scene, but seeing how many new buildings emerged in just a few years gave me an opportunity to return for the second visit (below) and show the transformation and investment of capital that's happening in that part of the city'
'The second view was actually the last photograph I made for the book. I knew I wanted to use the same exact frame but it needed something else. I photographed it maybe five or six times without any luck. My daughter had been asking me to photograph a pink car for years and when one finally showed up, I knew that was the picture'