Peregrinations; Corona Queens

While walking from the subway station to my job in Corona, Queens, I would often take note of subject matter that evoked a sense of this unique place and its community. The imagery inspired me to begin photographing the neighborhood during my daily lunch breaks. From 2012 – 2020, I had produced thousands of digital photographs. Many of them had been pre-visualized from earlier observations when I was without a camera. I had stored countless compositions in my mind and returned to specific locations to capture the images. My initial objective was simply to observe and collect. Looking and seeing was an exercise. Finding was a wonderful outcome. I was not expecting this project to evolve into the journey that it became. Walking the same streets was an opportunity to notice changes. It often felt like traversing a spiral that led to its own heart. Each ring tighter and stronger. Holidays, seasons, fires, wrecking balls, and renovations would introduce ironies and poetry to revisited locations. Discovering new areas often reaped fresh visual descriptions. The Corona neighborhood retains a rare preservation of historic architecture and signage left intact due to neglect and economic