Art of Medicine
Oct 2017
Abstract
These photos capture the Flint water crisis from the perspective of a photographer and cinematographer who is a resident of Flint. They represent citizens' struggles, town hall meetings, and some of the city's repair efforts. They also illuminate environmental injustice as a violation of human rights.
Figure 1. Corrosion of Trust
Caption
After talking with a Flint resident and learning he had just completed some home renovations, I was invited to take a look at some of his home’s plumbing.
Figure 2. Portentious Vote
Caption
At this Flint City Council meeting on March 25, 2013, the council heard comments from the public and voted to change its water source from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to the Karegnondi Water Authority.
Figure 3. Signs of Change
Caption
“Water Line Replacement Work Area” signs are scattered all throughout the city. Work crews dig up old pipes and replace them with new ones, which began in March 2016.
Figure 4. Can Do: Water for Washing
Caption
“Please Use This Water” sign found in a local public restroom instructing people to use canned water to wash their hands.
Figure 5. Greetings from Flint
Caption
This “Greetings from Flint” mural is found on Saginaw Street. Inside the letters are images that resonate with many people in the city following the water crisis. The artwork is part of a mural project by unspecified artists.
Figure 6. Watered Down Rights
Caption
This use of image and words highlights the overarching issue of environmental injustice and citizens’ right to safe water.
Figure 7. Waterborne
Caption
The words “human rights” on a pregnant woman’s stomach represent unborn Flint residents with no voice, whose human rights are being neglected.
