A collection of photographs from Detroit and Dortmund by photographers Theon Delgado Sr. and Peyman Azhari currently in exhibition in our Gallery, "Visualizing Translation: Homeland and Heimat in Detroit and Dortmund", reveals how vibrant multilingual communities in Southwest Detroit and Northern Dortmund lay claim to and shape their neighboorhood for the better.
On the surface, both cities have several obvious points of comparison: a postindustrial landcape, historically driven by a limited number of industries and high levels of per-capita debt. In a series of interviews, made available to listen online accessible via QR codes for some of the photos, residents also reflect on the terms homeland and Heimat. These terms express modes of belonging that all too often depend on keeping Black, Indigenous and People of Color out.
The hope is that the images presented can help all to see Detroit and Dortmund – but also ourselves and our own communities – from a new perspective.
This exhibition was co-curated by Salzburg Global Fellow Karah Shaffer (Facing Change: Documenting America), Alan Chin and Kristin Dickinson (University of Michigan), and supported by the Mellon Sawyer Seminar.
