Photos From the Gated Community Where Romney Made His 47 Percent Remarks
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Above and below are photos of the gated community in Boca Raton, Fla. where Romney was caught on tape making his 47 percent comments.
Just after those unforgettable words landed in the news media last month, photographer Zoe Strauss headed to Florida as part of a Magnum group project and began exploring the physical context for those comments to donors. Strauss, who is the newest photographer to have joined Magnum, is known for her portraits of everyday America, most famously presented in a 10-year series of exhibitions under a section of I-95 in Philadelphia.
These Florida photos are part of Magnum’s Postcards from America project, a group journey across the United States in the year leading up to the election. Thus far, photographers have driven from Texas to California in an RV and spent several weeks in Rochester, N.Y. Throughout the month of October, 12 photographers are gathering their observations about what has been and will be one of the key states in presidential elections.
No one can or should make claims to creating a definitive document of this strange and complicated place. So, conceptually, the group decided to take their cues from the great tradition of the humble postcard. Walker Evans, the great documentary photographer, was a devoted collector of postcards. In an essay on his collection, he wrote of the cards: “They arrived from the next town up the line, or from across the continent, inscribed for all to see: ‘Your Ma and I stopped at this hotel before you were ever heard of,” or, shamelessly: “Well if she doesn’t care any more than that I don’t either. See you Tues.’” Glimpses of life—brief observations—at once personal and shared.
You can see additional work from the Magnum Postcards From America project on this Tumblr.
Previous Magnum Photo Features on Behold
Behold is Slate's brand new photo blog. Like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter @beholdphotos and on Tumblr. Find out more about what this space is all about here.