Colin Blakely: Effigy of the Unmarked but Persistent Passing of Time, 2007

Photographing Keech Avenue, his Ann Arbor neighborhood, Colin Blakely explores the fading rituals of small-town Midwestern life. Bordered on one side by Michigan Stadium and by Almendinger Park on the other, the area plays an important role in the identity of the neighborhood, which receives thousands of visitors every year.

Effigy of the Unmarked but Persistent Passing of Time tells the story of a community that is holding on to a familiar yet vanishing way of life. It is about a group of people living in Middle America—geographically, economically, politically—at a time when our notions concerning what this means are quickly changing. Without inscribing nostalgia or fatalism into his tableaux, Blakely acts as a quiet observer. As he explains, “this work is a celebration of—and possibly a eulogy to—this way of life.”

This work is part of the 2008 Aperture Portfolio Prize Limited-Edition Print Series.

Each limited-edition print is hand-packed with great care and ships from New York within 3–5 days.