Signals At The End of Summer

(An in progress documentary project on Coney Island.)

The atmosphere at Coney Island is an indication of the season, a finger on the year's pulse. The sound of a child screaming, "Mom, look!" at a metallic painted man blends in unison with the spray of water on the shore and announces summer's arrival. Eventually, vibrant sunsets serve as a backdrop against the empty expanse of Coney's famed boardwalk, heralding the cold season.

A friend once likened Coney Island to peering into a fish tank, an ecosystem with an array of species. There is a part that sits close to the sun—the warmth and bustle in summer. It contrasts against the quiet, expansive boardwalk in winter, the metaphorical dark of the fish tank’s bottom. Then there are the parts in-between—alleys of carnival games and workers counting the day’s earnings. The fish that swim between the crevices of coral. To bear witness to Coney amidst changing seasons is to witness this ecosystem in full, standing nose against glass to a blooming aquarium.

This series is an excerpt of a long term documentary project—a tank to peer into and witness the stir of Coney Island and subdued moments in between, each photo a pair of hands pressed against glass, watching the scene inside.