Words + Art by Jameel Bridgewater

BRIDGES

The community presents bridges because it wouldn’t be anything without US.

A bridge gives you the ability to expand past your constrictions and over spaces that hold strong directional currents. This collection is the study of the blueprint of a bridge and how we can use those tools to grow as a community and have conversations about what it means to have a solid structure. The four basic parts are all essential to its construction.

–  Foundation, the blueprint. Also, man and women, the women represents growth and fertility. The man represents structure and fluidity.
–  Superstructure, the all-seeing and the road one drives or walks on. It has an ego but also humbleness and wants to be noticed for the right reasons.
–  Substructure, the supporting piece. It serves it’s purpose with no need for praise and has strength in the ability to create behind the curtain. This is the support that propels the success of the higher tiers.
–  Girder, framework and underlining factor. The glue and binding force.
The process of building this collection has helped me grow not only with my craft but also in understanding more about purpose and calling. I have a whole new look at practice and imagination. In this series, it was my first time shooting medium format and also in between being exposed to archives from Jean-Paul Goude, Grace Jones, Jonathan Mannion and many more.    Taking classic techniques, breaking them apart and putting them back together to make new meaning/compositions. I think we take art for granted at times. In today’s current state I believe it might be mostly because of the way we share it. I want to create for me, with my friends.
Instead of just creating for them.
With creative age, social media personally has become the most beneficial tool for marketing but may be becoming too dependent on a day to day. It has also made us as a community value things a little different. I aspire to share passions and goals through conversation. I think getting people of all background and walks of life into one room will help us break through the glass ceiling.Comfortability is the key to failure. Uncomfortably will motivate the way we move into the future.

-Jameel Bridgewater