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“(Re)Vision: A Preservation of Houston’s Inner Loop”

Shannon Duncan chronicles six months’ worth of home deconstruction using Polaroids and found objects

A A A Comments By Dusti Rhodes Thursday, Sep 4 2008

Shannon Duncan’s black binder holds a rather hefty list of houses inside the 610 Loop that were demolished from January 1 to June 30. Duncan traveled to most of these houses for her installation “(Re)Vision: A Preservation of Houston’s Inner Loop.” The show features a wall’s worth of Polaroids Duncan took of houses before and after demolition — with some of the sites already in the process of being rebuilt.

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On another wall is a display of books, photographs, postcards, letters, medicine bottles, mailboxes, toys and other objects she found at the homes. These are the items that really interest Duncan: saved treasures that escaped trashing for years — until now. “It was really important to someone at some point, and then you just find it,” she says.

The houses are no different. At one point, the soon-to-be-destroyed buildings were home to a person or a family, important to someone. Duncan says that during a demolition on West Gray, a neighbor walked up to her with tears in her eyes. “She said, ‘My friend lived there for 25 years.’”

Duncan’s binder, along with a laptop linked up to the exhibit’s accompanying Web site (www.communitywalk.com/revisionhouston), explores the process behind chronicling a series of inevitable events. “I guess I was more interested in the thing…you couldn’t stop from happening,” she says. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays. Through September 27. Lawndale Art Center, 4912 Main. For information, call 713-528-5858 or visit www.lawndaleartcenter.org. Free.
Mondays-Saturdays. Starts: Aug. 22. Continues through Sept. 27, 2008

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