28 Swimming Pools

This series is about the absence of Chicago public swimming pools during the Summer of 2020. I wanted capture the essence of COVID’s path, the creation of desolation. March 2020, early in the pandemic I lost my job, Chicago shut down public places with large gatherings, not knowing how long any of this would last. Come summer word was, no beaches, no events, no indoor dining and no swimming pools. During the quiet summer I walked every day. On my route I walked by the Humboldt Park Pool and I would feel the sadness of the dead summer scene. There sat the vacant desolate over grown empty pool. I was drawn to the somber almost mourning like feeling I would get when I saw the shuttered pool.

Next I photographed public pools all over the city. Upon arrival I would get super excited, I was in a beautiful park on a beautiful sunny day. However, once I was out of the car, I would walk over to the pool, the reality set in that things were not ok and things are going to be like this for a while. I purposely shot on sunny days between 12:00pm-2:00pm., peak swim time.  I wanted to take the photos during the time that people would normally be there swimming, creating a presence without being present. The absence of children’s laughter was deafening.

During this time I would ask myself questions. How important is it for us to live among the public? Not realizing how much we rely on public places for personal feeling and existence. Looking at our relationship with the public and how we need that external energy to tap from. Being around mass quantities of people experiencing happy moments, a shared public joy. Simply existing among strangers and the energy we get from being part of something bigger. Swimming Pools are for everyone.

Chicago, Illinois 2020