In our visit to the Alice Austen House, we recreated some of Alice’s pictures in the exact location they were taken. I chose in particurarly these two pictures as they resemble the best picture on how much does time changes the same place but still remembers the essence from the past. The picture with person sitting beneath the tree by the water feels reminiscent of Austen’s portraits of friends and community members in natural settings. She often photographed people in relaxed poses, emphasizing connection and presence rather than formality, which was one of the main aspects that made her pictures so unique.
The next picture of her house and the greenery, shows Austen’s sense of home and belonging. Many of her images at the Alice Austen House show how domestic and outdoor spaces intertwine. We tried to capture that with our picture and we can observe how the enviorment changed, such as the nature around it but we can see the general idea stays the same. It’s a portrait of community through environment, showing how places hold memory and meaning.
Beyond the visual similarities, these recreated photographs highlight how community itself evolves while still holding onto traces of the past. Standing in the same spaces where Alice once photographed her friends, her home, and her surroundings reminds us that places are shaped by the people who move through them. We became part of that ongoing story, another group engaging with the landscape, interpreting it, and leaving our own moment behind. In this way, the photos connect also to our community, showing how shared spaces become bridges between generations, preserving memory while welcoming new perspectives.
