A slide show of economic survivors.

Photograph of couple by Shuli Sade.

Toni Schlesinger, the author of Five Flights Up, has spent the last year visiting and photographing the homes of people who have been hit by the economic crash—people who lost their money, their savings, their terrors, their dream-lives, and their pluck. Step inside their lives with "House Calls."

The Good Earth Album: Single mom Rebecca Tuffey lives with her daughter, Elle, in Queens and frequents her community garden.

Previous "House Calls" albums:

The Belly of the Pig Album The After the Storm Album
The New Hungry Album
The Goose Laid Them Album
The Painted Lampshade Album
The Lake Nervous Album

After last year’s startling economic crash sideswiped just about every segment of the population, I began visiting people in their homes to talk about their lost money, their savings, their terrors, their dream-lives, and their pluck.

I saw designers, artists, poets, social workers, reverends, a cleaning person, a caretaker. I chose mostly people who were independent, working outside corporations and without any fixed affiliations. They are the most vulnerable and also those most free to speak publicly to the press.

A few common themes emerged—a newfound passion for the land, either for survival or cheerful solace, for example. Master plans for thrift included immediate, excessive budget cuts; taking in a boarder; and working harder, faster, and longer. People fretted about what they’d missed: Why didn’t I see it coming? They pondered the ironies: “There we were, working on a film about a con artist!” For some, an age-old question—whether art is still relevant—felt suddenly sharper.

One image was constant—the thought that we may no longer be living in only an apartment or a house, but inside the recession itself, a sort of economic architecture. On some days, a cave so dark; on others, a cave in which an opening appears where the light comes flooding in and we all go running out.

Tags: economy, money, photography, recession, slide show, survivors, unemployment

Toni Schlesinger is author of Five Flights Up, a journalist, and a theater artist who lives in New York City.

Comments

A year ago, we have experience economic crash

By: ashley_19 | Mon, 11/16/2009 - 00:52

A year ago, we have experience economic crash in which all people are really affected. That sad experiences serve as bitter memories in which I hope we learned lessons from it. But as the Droid sales and pre-sale lines at stores, many Americans are insecure and have relatively bankrupt lives – a lot of people need a hobby, or a significant other. Why anyone would line up to pay for something, other than maybe food, that is kind of beyond reason? The Droid sales are evidence that people will get a quick payday loan and buy plastic trinkets if they're told to – and that the "think for yourself" ethos is effectively dead. That's how influential these Droid sales nowadays.

recession slide shows

By: Yimji | Sun, 10/25/2009 - 14:20

This is important work, showing people affected, and identifying the economic climate as the cause. It is especially important for people to understand that their present adverse circumstances are just that--circumstances in a global depression.

In the last depression, there was not the awareness that the situation was as widespread and pervasive as it was, leading to a lot of unnecessary self-recrimination and not a few suicides.

The golden clogs are wonderful.