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The New York Times recently asked readers to submit pictures of the recession for their piece, Picturing the Recession. Photographers from all over the world submitted photographs showing how the world wide economic crisis was hitting home. There are pictures of swap meets in Bangladesh, pictures of the stunted housing boom in Australia, pictures of all sorts of businesses closing shop. There are even pictures of 99 cent stores liquidating assets for 69 cents.
The compilation is really quite amazing. I never feel like I can really understand the scale just looking at my town and what businesses are failing here. Seeing the stores fold over and over and over again helps show what is happening in more broad context, regionally, nationally, internationally.
The pictures show more than just desolation. They show cultural shifts, people starting their vegetable gardens, people beginning to raise backyard chickens for eggs, and people baking bread at home with a copy of Michael Pollan’s book “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” hanging out in the background. People who are essentially trying to survive by reclaiming their food from the food industry.
Photographers who feel inspired can still try to submit photos to the NYT here. And of course there is a flickr group gathered to share photos based on the recession, the Economic Clusterf*ck (aka Recession) of 2008-9.
