Berkeley without shadow

Why photograph cities? The camera allows one to get to know a place, to investigate the surface and to explore the interior. The camera also creates history in a split second. As explorers of both photography and the built environment, these UC Berkeley students examined the current life of Downtown Berkeley to learn how cities work and to make an historical record of how this eclectic city looks and feels in the Spring of 2008.

Downtown Berkeley has not changed dramatically over time. Often seen as a bastion of the New, Berkeley holds dearly to the past. Established in the mid-1800’s, the downtown area grew up around the train station on Shattuck and University, and in 1878, the town became a gateway to the new University of California. Downtown is still a hub of transportation and is moving toward establishing a more generous connection to the university through the planned development of Center Street.

This photographic documentary project has given the students an opportunity to look at Berkeley without shadows. They have peered into the empty lots and between the buildings. They’ve studied the flow of people on bikes and buses, on the streets at night and in restaurants and jazz clubs. They’ve shed light on the architecture, given a face to the crowd and named the homeless. They have each stood behind the lens of a different camera and transformed downtown into their personal viewpoint.

By publishing these photographs in a limited edition book we have preserved this particular moment in time in a classic form. As you can see, we've also launched this website. But perhaps most importantly, we will add to the new and burgeoning life of the city center by exhibiting the work in the Addison Street Gallery in early 2009. Please join us on the streets of Downtown Berkeley!

Janet Delaney, Lecturer, Visual Studies
College of Environmental Design
UC Berkeley
May, 2008