An elevated railway high above the city, filled with wild grasses. You may have heard of New York’s High Line Park, but this isn’t it. No, Philly has it’s own secret garden, and it’s kind of way cooler.

I was recently introduced to the full extent of the Reading Viaduct’s City and 9th Street branches by the folks at ViaductGreene, and was amazed to discover the vast expanse of potential that is hidden in plain sight in the heart of the city.

I already knew a little bit about the meadow over the rooftops by 9th and Spring Garden, but to get there I first had to discover the tunnel beneath the city and the canyon between the buildings. The entire route runs from the Art Museum, across to Broad Street and all the way up N. 9th Street. This map should give you an idea of the ground that we covered. Here is what I discovered…

Our tour began at 21st and Hamilton, where a railing overlooks a strange sunken parking lot that sits next to the gaping mouth of a tunnel. I’d often biked by this strange site and been curious about the tunnel, but never really knew anything about it. But rather than enter there, we first walked to the other end of the tunnel, which is past the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Along the way, as we hiked to the western end of Pennsylvania Avenue, our guide Paul showed us the overgrown land where trains used to enter the city.

Of course, there’s still an active railway line where CSX freight trains pass through… That tunnel that you see at the end of the shot above passes under Eakins Oval and comes out alongside the Schuylkill River. But it’s the expanse to the left that’s of interest…

The old rails have been removed, and nature has since reclaimed the site.

ViaductGreene and others are advocating that this land be turned into a park… a new corridor of public space that would connect Fairmount Park to Center City.

As we approached the mouth of the tunnel, we started to be able to see that it is actually far wider than just the tracks that we were following:

a huge open cavern opens up wide, the beginning of a magical subterranean realm.

Turning back towards the mouth of the tunnel, we were fascinated by the architecture, street art, and simple play of light in the space… And as our eyes adjusted to the darker space we became aware of the amazing space that we’d just passed right by:

The entire length of Pennsylvania Avenue that we had just walked was actually built over top of this amazing tunnel, which used to be an open-air railway.

Along the way, Paul stopped to give us historical facts about the site… A lot of Philadelphia’s industrial history is tied into this corridor that is now literally buried from our sight.

As we retraced our steps towards 20th street, but now underground, we found ourselves walking through beautiful pools of soft light cast down from ventilation grates in the road above. I’ve passed by those grates so many times without even noticing them, let alone realizing what kind of world lay below them…

There’s definitely some debris and spots where one might easily sprain an ankle, but for the most part, the tunnel is completely clear. This would make for a pretty straightforward transformation into a public space… With some attention to lighting and other safety issues, imagine a bike and walking path reaching down from Girard Avenue and Fairmount Park, along the railway and through this amazing underground space…

One beautiful feature of this space is the walls… The massive stones are pretty impressive on their own, and in this day and age where everything is made of concrete, they are a special treasure.

And so we emerged where we’d started, back at 21st and Hamilton, but now we were below street level. And this was just the beginning.

Unfortunately this amazing space isn’t open to the general public. Imagine if instead of fences there was a welcoming landscaped entrance to an urban park?

Visitors would discover an amazing sunken landscape, one level below the road. We were fortunate that our guide is a professional gardener who has worked on both public projects and high end private commissions. He knows all of these wild plants by name.

Extensive landscaping might not be necessary, as the natural vegetation is absolutely beautiful. Maybe just a simple walkway…

One of the amazing things about this urban canyon is how quiet and peaceful it is. You’re just a few feet from the traffic of city streets, but the sunken environment blocks out the sighted and sound, and all you see above you is open sky. It’s wonderfully restful, and would be such an asset to the city as public space.

Paul also happens to be quite the historian, and travels with an iPad loaded with old historic images of the area. It’s amazing to see this whole industrial side of the city’s history that I was unfamiliar with, and to realize that this overgrown vegetation now stands on the same site seen in those images.

As we continued to delve through these secret urban meadows…

we saw abandoned bridges that led from nowhere to nowhere…

and lush greenery thriving.

As we continued east, we passed under covered areas where beautiful light bounced in off of nearby buildings…

and then into a narrower space between buildings where it really started to feel like a canyon…

Only to find ourselves emerging at a ramp under the Inquirer building… we’d made it all the way from the Art Museum to Broad Street without seeing a single car!

Once above-ground on Broad Street, we took a moment to review more images on Paul’s iPad. This time, instead of showing us historical images, he shared visions of a potential future: rough renderings of what a potential Broad Street access point to the park might look like.

Not content with finally being above-ground, we set off to be really above ground on the third leg of the journey, as we reached the elevated track section of our journey.

Just east of Broad Street, a smooth grade leads up to the elevated tracks. This access point has the potential to make the creation of a landscaped public space far less costly, as supplies could simply be driven up rather than requiring lots of cranes.

Now near 11th and Callowhill, we found an abandoned electrical station of some sort…

along with a vast meadow. Right in the heart of Center City.

On this part of the journey, we found the rails intact…

… and they led us north along 9th street…

through a beautiful grassland with gorgeous views of the city.

While the winter landscape is mostly filled with golds and browns, Paul was quick to note special exceptions like this evergreen magnolia. This particular variety apparently isn’t supposed to grow in Philly’s climate, but seems to be thriving just fine here above 9th street.

As we approached Spring Garden Street, the beautiful plain just continued on. Much like the sunken sections of the route that we’d just passed through, the lack of cars and street sounds is striking.

As we walked through this amazing space, we continued to envision what an amazing public space it could make. It may seem like an impossible dream to convert this space to a park, but the High Line Park in Manhattan sets a precedent, and there are many other beautiful examples of former industrial cites reclaimed as parks.

Some creative soul had installed a swing on these abandoned beams, so we had an easy example of how much fun such a space could be.

We were nearing the end of our journey… not one inch of it wasn’t breathtakingly beautiful.

As we turned back towards home, we kept on dreaming about how magical it would be for this space to be accessible to all of the city.

This vision is certainly a challenging one that will take a long time and many resources…

… but the space is just sitting there unused, seemingly begging for this vision to become a reality.

We’d had a beautiful day walking…

… but really the journey’s just begun.

As I think of this site, I can’t help but remember one night in college when I hauled a bulky 4×5 camera down to the banks of the Schuylkill. Back then, the land near those train tracks was just another abandoned plot of land filled with trash and weeds, and imagining it as anything else seemed like a dream. But now it’s become the beautiful Schuylkill River Trail, an asset to our whole community. So who knows what we might see on the Reading Viaduct ten years from now?

Will ViaductGreene‘s vision become a reality?  I know from personal experience that dreams can come true, although sometimes it takes a lot of help. You might want to sign up for their updates or check out their Facebook page and help them along the way. Also, please share and repost this link, as the more people know about the potential of this space, the greater are the chances for its transformation.

Speaking of dreams… bringing you this kind of story is part of my community practice. My dream is to be able to make more of this type of work in a way that is sustained by the community. If you appreciate these images, you can support my non-commercial work here.

Happy trails…
-jj

PS If you didn’t link to the map above, here it is for you:

The year is off to a big start…

My adventures in Philly in the last year have mostly revolved around beautiful dancing Philadelphians through the many facets of my How Philly Moves project. But now it’s time to hit the road for a few months…

The image above was taken during the course of some earlier medical work in Central America. I’m actually heading back that way this week, although it’s to Nicaragua to play wedding photographer. But three days later, I hop another plane to West Africa, where I’m going to be spending three months serving aboard the Africa Mercy, a floating hospital ship run by Mercy Ships.

I visited the ship last spring when it was docked in Sierra Leone, and this year they’ll be operating in Togo. It’s a pretty amazing operation that delivers a first class quality of care, offering free surgeries that make some amazing impacts in the lives of those that they serve.

I’ll be somewhat off of the grid during much of that time, but will try and post some periodic images and updates on the JJ Tiziou Photography Facebook page. While I’m away, I’m also going to be starting to plan a few special things for when I’m back stateside, so if you’re not on the mailing list, I’d love if you would sign up so that I can give you a heads up when I’m coming home.

The most recent How Philly Moves shoots were amazing, with over 140 additional Philadelphians being photographed over the course of an intense three days of community dance photo sessions. The video above should give you a sense of what a magical weekend it was.

An update is on the project website, along with news about the permanent exhibit in the baggage claim, and of course the massive mural at the airport is complete. The project’s continued to get a pile of great press, and the Kickstarter blog just featured my little narrative of the crowdfunding process that brought this most recent incarnation of How Philly Moves to fruition.

Check out the news feed on the HPM site for the images.

Being able to create work in this crowd-funded way is the beginning of a dream come true. I’ve wanted to work this way since 2002, but the tools to facilitate community-supported photography are only now becoming available. It’s exciting times, and I can’t wait to see what comes next. If you’d like to come along for the ride, sign up for updates!

Two interesting experiences from this weekend that I’d like to share:

I spent Saturday evening onstage at the Kimmel Center, acting as a judge in Southeast Philadelphia Collaborative‘s talent show. While I’d originally been asked to act as a judge for the visual arts exhibit, I ended up being roped into judging the performance component as well. It was a pretty amazing event with a bit of a bittersweet ending for me…

For those of you who aren’t familiar with SEPC, they’re an umbrella group that brings together all sorts of organizations and stakeholders working on behalf of youth in their area. I’ve been wanting to get more involved in working with youth, especially since encountering a few great inspirations in PSU, PYPM, and recently catching PYOS at TEDxPhilly. I was excited to discover what these young people had to share with us.

The visual arts component took place in the lobby, where throngs of people milled about and had a chance to meet the young artists and see their work. There was a wonderful diversity of subjects and mediums, and a wide range of technical skills on display. The one thing in common was the enthusiasm of the participants, and it was great hearing them talk about their work.  As we packed into the Perelman Theater, the energy was pretty great.

After a brief intro, individual students and groups took to the stage and I was pretty universally blown away. One of the first groups, a dance company from South Philly High, totally stunned me with more and more dancers pouring onto the stage in perfectly executed high energy choreography. Others poured their hearts out in song, and there was some breakdancing that my fellow judge Varissa McMickens rated equal to or better any professional work seen on the streets of DC, NYC, Miami etc.

The performers were all gorgeous on their own… but one of the best parts of the evening was the audience. They were so receptive, so enthusiastic, so excited that the hall thundered with shouts and applause. It was one of those heart-warming moments, seeing so much beauty in the culture created by the youth in our communities, and seeing the excitement generated when they have the opportunity to share these talents.

It was perfect, until the end…

So what happened to such a beautiful evening that left it feeling bittersweet?

Votes were tallied, and winners were announced. And by that strange phenomenon of judgement, some were declared “better” than others; by declaring two “winners”, what was left unspoken was that the rest had therefore become “losers”.

I felt the energy shift onstage right away. Where seconds before, the place was full of a universal feeling of joy, reminiscent of one of the How Philly Moves photo shoots,  now students were saddened, disappointed, frustrated and resentful. I saw several of them commenting that others had been “robbed”, etc.. it was a subtle shift, but significant.

The event was called “After School Idol”, and much like the TV show that the title is inspired by, it became about celebrity and competition.

Now, there are certainly moments where competition is appropriate, but there are also places where it is unnecessary. Why this emphasis on creating “idols”? Honestly, any of those students could have won, and I don’t so much care… From the amount of talent and enthusiasm that I saw in that room, it was clear that it’s Philadelphia as a whole that has a potential to be a winner, if we just embrace and nurture the beauty that we have in our communities. Couldn’t such an event be simply presented as a “talent show” and not a competition?

What does it mean to be a winner? I couldn’t help thinking of how the SugarHouse casino uses the slogan that “Philly loves a winner” while running a business model based on generating losers.

Here’s a little quote from Stephen Mitchell’s excellent little pocket translation of the Tao Te Ching:

When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you.
—Tao Te Ching

There may be places where competition is appropriate, and I’ll tell you about my plans to compete in a second… but first let me tell you about my experience the next night.

Peace is a Haiku Song

Last night I had the pleasure of hearing Sonia Sanchez speak at Christ Church in Old City. If you’re not familiar with her work, go to the library and check out a few of her books. If you don’t know where to start, try Homegirls and Handgrenades.

The event, part of the 2011 First Person Festival of Memoir and Documentary Art, was co-sponsored by the Mural Arts Program. There’s piles more going on with the festival in the coming days, and the great folks at Mural Arts are creating Peace is a Haiku Song, a mural project involving Sanchez’ work and haiku that you submit.

Sanchez spoke eloquently about the need to not just talk about peace, but to live it. During the course of the workshop/presentation, the crowd was invited to write their own haiku and all were welcomed up at the microphone to share theirs. She started us with a prompt “Blue Midnight”, and here’s what I read:

Blue midnight, stillness…
I stare at the moon and it
shines on all of us.

This is definitely not the most brilliant thing that I’ve ever written. But it was great to be welcomed to share, without fear of judgement. In coming to the microphone, we weren’t competing… rather we were communing. It was a special evening. Here’s three more that I wrote to submit to the mural project:

“photogenic” means
“something that illuminates.”
That is what you are.

There is no such thing
when they say “us versus them”…
There is only “us.”

Open your eyes and
take simple pleasure in how
lovely we all are.

And so what next?

It seems to me that sometimes our world puts too much emphasis on independence and competition… it’s important to remember our interdependence, and to share in celebrations of our community. That’s why How Philly Moves is so special. That’s why I go on on rants about the idea that everyone is photogenic.

And so I’ll compete. But not with you.. rather I’m going to compete with myself. Trying to be the best incarnation of all of my possible selves that I can possibly be, working so that my business and life can thrive while living my dream and creating imagery that supports positive change in my community.

Last night, Sonia Sanchez made a little joke about the idea that we could teach Peace in the US if it were made profitable… because war is profitable, and therefore so many market forces build upon it. It was only a joke, but there is a bit of truth in there. Money is a stand-in for value in our society, and the media market values conflict far more than it does peace.

That’s why it’s particularly exciting for me that such a huge group of people came together to support the most recent community photo sessions of How Philly Moves. This first successful attempt at an ambitious fundraising campaign allowed my business to step outside of the media market, and devote resources to creating a celebration of community in a sustainable way that allows both my business to thrive while creating images of the things that I know to be truly important: my neighbors and the culture that they create. It was an amazing weekend and I still haven’t finished sifting through the 14,000+ frames generated, but I look forward to sharing them with you soon.

So what’s next?

These explorations into photography as community-supported public art (check out this interview on Shareable) are just a beginning for me. There’s a lot to learn in developing new models like this, but it’s exciting to be using my work in this way… it seems like the natural continuation of the transformation that digital technology brought to photography. I’m competing with this media market whose values don’t reflect mine. As my business grows and thrives by making this kind of imagery, it’ll be a sign that the market is shifting, that our society is valuing the things that are truly important in our community. So stay tuned, as I’ll need your help as I keep working on transforming myself and my business, knowing that all of us together every day transform the world…

Peace.

I first crossed paths with Orrin Evans back in 2003, when we took some photos for his then project LUVPARK. He’s been continuing to play up a storm with a host of brilliant musicians.

If you’re into music, jazz, swing, soul, love, beauty, and that big band sound, you might want to pay attention to this.

The Captain Black Big Band is gearing up for their new recording, and they could use your help. Get on it now!

A broken bottle, a pool of blood, and a bloody trail leading across  four blocks of my neighborhood is not what I like to find first thing in the morning.

I’m not quite sure what happened here, but by 9am the firemen had already hosed it all away.

This, combined with the recent rape & robbery at 48th and Springfield are important and immediate reminders of two things:

Be safe.

We live in a city, and it is not without its dangers. The 48th & Springfield case is an example of the kind of thing that can happen even when you’re walking home with a friend. Keep your eyes open, be aware. Be safe, and look out for each other.

Be involved.

Even when things like this happen, it’s important not to let yourself be in fear. Get out there and greet your neighbors, and ask yourself what the best way is for you to foster a safer and healthier community.

Crime doesn’t come out of nowhere. There are a million factors, and I’m not the statistician who’s going to tell you what the causes are. But I do think that it’s important that we be out there on the streets, creating a culture of positivity and opportunity for our community. How can we prevent foreclosures, improve schools, create jobs, provide healthier entertainment? Does the media that we consume promote violence or make sexual assault somehow seem ok?

I’m not sure where this trail leads, but I know that we need to be thoughtful in the paths that we choose. None of us can fix it on our own, but each of us has a thousand opportunities in our daily practice to make choices that impact the world around us.

Let’s take a moment of reflection this week, and think about how we might better serve our communities. Because while we’re in here putzing around on the computers, people are out there bleeding in the streets.

Peace.

UPDATE:

According to a neighbor on the 4500 block of Pine, this wasn’t an assault. Apparently a very drunk individual sliced themselves with the broken glass, and stumbled on home while dripping blood everywhere. I could do with less stupid drunkenness as well, but it’s a lot better than assaults, and I’m glad to hear that the individual is ok and safe. That being said, the aforementioned rape at gunpoint is still very real, and I hope that you’ll all still give some thought as to how we can best affect positive change in our communities.

That’s Dana Dolney.
Those breasts of hers are fake.

I first met Dana in the airport in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, back in 2002, long before her battle with breast cancer. I was thrilled to see her back in good health, joining the throng of citizens in the streets of Philadelphia for last week’s Shale Gas Outrage, demanding that our drinking water be protected from the carcinogens and other toxic chemicals that are being injected into the earth in the rush of new gas-drilling that is transforming the Pennsylvanian landscape.

Hydrauling fracturing or “Fracking” involves combining immense volumes of water with a secret ‘cocktail’ of chemicals and pumping it underground to release natural gas. The “Halliburton loophole” exempts the industry from the Clean Air Act and Clean Drinking Water Act, and the fast-tracking of this industry without a comprehensive environmental impact study raises concerns about an impending environmental disaster.

As Dana told the crowd about her own experience with cancer and made an impassioned plea for a moratorium on Fracking, I got a closer look at her shirt, which bears a section of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. I wasn’t super familiar with the document, but article 1 section 27 ratifies a fairly obvious duty of government regarding Natural Resources and the Public Estate:

The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania’s public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.

Water is such a simple, basic necessity of life that it is easy to take for granted. But our country has a long history of short-sighted profit-driven ventures that fail to take into account real long term costs to human life and environment. A few of those are documented in my friend Josh’s beautiful album This Land (listen free).

Fortunately, we also have a rich history of community activism holding our governments accountable and forcing change when it is needed… Now organizations like Protecting Our Waters and their allies are leading the way.

It’s probably no surprise to see faces like Judy Wicks, founder of the Sustainable Business Network, at an event like this…

… but I was also thrilled to recognize faces like that of community leaders Lois Welk of Dance USA / Philadelphia. I’m always hoping to see more connections between arts organizations and activist groups, as they seem to me like two faces of the same coin: people actively engaged in building the world that they want to live in.

Speaking of artists… Beth Nixon‘s parody performance extolling the “virtues” of Fracking was absolutely *brilliant*…

… and it was great to hear Rebel Diaz again – I’d last crossed paths with them during some 2007 actions with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.

This shot is maybe a bit too literal of a metaphor that I fabricated by picking my sight-lines…

… but there was nothing fabricated about the energy and enthusiasm of the crowd.

The rally was a beautiful start, but it was just a beginning. This is a critical time to get informed and involved about this issue.

I started this post with a reference to my trip to Mongolia. Maybe a picture from that trip will remind you why Protecting Our Waters is important. Water is life. Below are a few more resources. Please share them widely.

More images from the rally:

• JJ Tiziou Photography on Facebook
• Complete unedited community archive

More information:

• Shale Gas Outrage – event home
• Protecting Our Waters – follow the blog or follow them on twitter.
• Fracking E-toolkit
• Gasland documentary

It’s that time of year again, two weeks of creative frenzy throughout the city as the 15th annual Philadelphia Live Arts Festival & Philly Fringe fills the city with innovative works of dance, theater and other works that defy labels.

If you’re not familiar with the festivals, a good way to get plugged in is to get on their mailing list and sign up to volunteer.

The image above’s a shot of the cast of Bright Light Theatre’ Co’s All Places From Here. Below are a few recommendations of other shows to check out if you’re looking for a place to start. There’s plenty of great stuff both on both sides of the festival, including many free events, so get out there and check out some shows!

Some of what I’m excited about:

Live Arts:

Whale Optics – Lucidity Suitcase Intercontinental
Elephant Room – Dennis Diamond * Louie Magic * Daryl Hannah
The Method Gun – Rude Mechs
Lady M – Swim Pony Performing Arts
More Mouvements Für Lachenmann – Xavier Le Roy

Fringe Dance:

A Vegan Kid’s Dance For Adults With Nudity – Green Chair Dance Co, Gabrielle Revlock, and devynn emory
Agnes Falling – Keila Cordova Dances
Bodies of Text III – Stone Depot Dance Lab & Melissa Diane [FREE]
Dancefusion…. to Mary Anthony – Dancefusion
Dancing Dead – Brian Sanders’ JUNK
El Proceso / The Process – Pasion y Arte Flamenco Co.
eMerge— The Preview – Danse4Nia Repertory Ensemble
Grab Bag – Lora Allen, Ellie Goudie-Averill, Christina Gesualdi, David Konyk, Gina Hoch-Stall and Annie Wilson
Plentiful – Fresh Blood InMovement / Jennifer Morley

Fringe Interdisiplinary:

Ampersand – Tangle
Poetic Passageways – Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, Olive Prince Dance, Rit-Mo Collective
Quarnivale of the People – Spiral Q Puppet Theater [FREE]

Fringe Music:

Afrikaner – ZIYA [FREE]

Fringe Theater:

All Places From Here – Bright Light Theatre Co.
Lord Of The Flies – Curio Theatre Company [FREE]
Tongue & Groove – Tongue & Groove Spontaneous Threater
Wars and Whores: The Henry IV Musical – Underground Shakespeare Company

Late night:

Festival Bar
Late Nite Cabaret

Pretty freaking important to make time for during your Festival:

Shale Gas Outrage – Protecting Our Waters [FREE]
Take a break from work on Wednesday Sept 7 for a midday rally to protect our drinking water from dirty gas drilling. This isn’t part of the festival, but worth working into your schedule. Please spread the word via the Facebook invite…

More…

I’m shooting a handful of shows for the festival, including Headlong Dance Theatre, Pig Iron, John Jasperse Dance Co and Shantala Shivalingappa, and will be catching plenty of shows as audience. If you want to follow along, keep an eye out on JJ Tiziou Photography on Facebook and Twitter.

For old time’s sake, check out this little animated recap from Fringe 2003, when I first got bit with the festival bug…

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kZAo_Sqkjg

I’m thrilled to announce that the next round of How Philly Moves shoots will be held this fall, October 21st – 23rd. That means we’re looking for dancers – of every kind. If you self-identify as a Philly dancer, whether you dance on stage, in a social way, in your kitchen or down the supermarket aisles, then this project is about you. HPM celebrates dance of all genres and styles.

If you’re interested in being photographed during the upcoming October shoots, sign up here, no later than October 1st, 2011. If you prefer not to be photographed, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved. Fill out the form linked above for volunteer opportunities. Please help us spread the word via the usual social networking haunts as well as good old fashioned word-of-mouth. If you know someone who would be interested in performing or volunteering, send ‘em our way!

This next phase of How Philly Moves was made possible largely by an overwhelming show of community support from 617 amazing backers who made our Kickstarter campaign a stunning success. HPM is an ongoing project and images from the October shoots may appear in future public and community art installations. For additional information, please see the FAQs or visit www.howphillymoves.org.

Photography is a universal language, and a compelling image can instantly captivate a viewer and draw them into your story. Are you creating images that effectively and strategically portray your organization and the work that you do?

Join me for an interactive workshop hosted by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance; learn to create photographs that better illustrate your stories.  In this session you will learn about the two most powerful tools for capturing images as well as tips on how to more effectively use images in your work.

Find more information here.