We currently live in a time of transformation.  Cities across the United States are in the process of tearing down blighted lower-income neighborhoods to replace them with contemporary mix-income communities.  Although the intention of creating mix-income housing is to keep the original residents of the neighborhood in the area, the truth is only a fraction of the original residents are present.  The rest are displaced and scattered across the region.  The displaced residents are the keepers of neighborhood histories.  They hold stories that chronicle the rich history and customs of a district.  It is these communal narratives which define our American society.  So, the question I pose to you is this … how does urban transformation affect the culture of a city?

Reflections in the Moment is a depiction of my experiences beginning the Brightwalk at Historic Double Oaks Oral Histories Project in Charlotte, NC.  My goal for this project is to record the stories of the former occupants of Double Oaks neighborhood as well as the new residents of Brightwalk mix-income development to create an artwork which captures the essence of this particular urban transformation.

The first art intervention was the story of Darryl Gaston installed in McColl Center Artist-in-Resident,  J McDonald’s A Way from Home mobile sculpture.