This is a project based in photography where my main goal is to transform the mugshot within the Black community. When anyone sees a mugshot, especially of someone that is Black, most people instantly run through a plethora of negative stereotypes. More times than not, Black people are judged based upon their looks and aren’t given a chance to present themselves in a positive light. With this project I want to challenge this societal issue. I have gathered twenty-one Black individuals and taken mugshots of each person. I had each person wear a plain black t-shirt in their mugshot as well to stay consistent with the institutional and demeaning feel that mugshots have. To combat this negative image of the mugshots however, I had each person write short biographies about themselves, which included their past achievements, milestones, and future aspirations. 

I then printed each person’s mugshot on a t-shirt, a staple in the Black community to present any loved ones. On the back of each t-shirt is each individual’s positive short biography. Each biography is formatted to look like a dictionary definition to emphasize how important and personal each person’s biography is to them, and so that onlookers know how to pronounce each person’s name, which is also a common problem that the Black community deals with. At first glance you will see each Black individual framed in a negative light, but on the back you will see that each individual has had a positive impact on either their own life or their community. To add more depth to the project I also recorded each person saying their biography. However, the video is framed and edited in a way where you can’t hear what they're saying and you can’t see their eyes. This further emphasizes dehumanization in which you are forced to look beyond each person’s image and try to make a connection through each of their short biographies to get to know them.

The installation provides an interactive experience of the work. I want to present the work as if someone was walking into a department of a retail store. I want people to be able to immerse themselves in the work and be able to feel the full scope of why it’s important to not let presumptions guide their thoughts or actions.