Reimagining Katrina (2023)
Reimagining Katrina, Edition I to V
In the age of artificial intelligence and generated visuals, photoshopping - especially a clumsy, copy and pasting of photos - has now become an archival, almost analog trait. This project deliberately employs low-grade photo manipulation to merge archival Hurricane Katrina photographs with images of "Nessie," the Loch Ness monster.
These semi-realistic composites create a speculative narrative where an imaginary guardian intervenes at pivotal moments during the disaster—appearing at the Superdome, the breached levees, and among flooded shotgun houses of New Orleans. Through intentionally imperfect digital collage, this series explores how urban myths might intersect with historical tragedy. The work memorializes the suffering and resilience of affected Black communities while questioning the governmental failures that left residents so desperate that only a mythical savior could symbolize adequate intervention.
Photo Credits: Vincent Laforet, AFP, Getty Images; N/A, Getty Images; screenshot from Katrina Babies (2022), directed by Edward Buckles; Mark Wilson, Getty Images; Mario Tama, Getty Images;