The interactive Web archive Invincible Cities is a Herculean accomplishment by sociologist and photographer Camilo José Vergara. Over three decades, Vergara has taken more than fourteen thousand photographs of urban buildings, subways and landscapes, each from the same perspective. The result captures the arc of character of each location, but also of the people who live there. “Ghetto residents often identify themselves with their city,” Vergara says, “yet this identification is ambiguous since much of what they love about their communities exists only in memory.” The site is a growing work of interactive anthropology, where users can comment on the archive. (via Daily Dose)
Invincible Cities
Julie Greicius
Julie Greicius was Art Editor for The Rumpus when it launched in January 2009. One year later, she became Senior Literary Editor, and later, Senior Features Editor. Julie also co-edited the first book published by The Rumpus, Rumpus Women, Vol. 1, featuring personal essays and illustration from twenty kick-ass contributors. Her writing been featured on The Rumpus, Midnight Breakfast, Stanford Medicine Magazine, and BuzzFeed, as well as in the anthology The 27th Mile. She lives in California and is a member of The Rumpus Advisory Board.