Coney Island: In Color

Coney Island: In Color is a photographic and sensory time capsule of Coney Island from 2022 to 2025. Comprising color darkroom prints, typewritten prose, and visual notes, the work captures the texture, rhythm, and resilience of the place.

For generations, Coney Island has held a defining place in the American cultural landscape as a site of wonder, leisure, and escape — a seaside haven for immigrants, working-class families and New Yorkers. Known as “the people’s playground” and the birthplace of the American amusement park, its boardwalk is a stage for coming-of-age rituals, summer pilgrimages, and the everyday spectacle of public life. Coney Island: In Color (2022–2025) is my photographic and sensory time capsule of Coney, created through hand-made color darkroom prints and typewritten prose. Working across 35mm, 6×7, and the rare 6×17 format, I’ve built a visual language shaped by analog practice — deliberate and tactile. Over three years, I made weekly visits to Coney, building a record of its landscape and atmosphere.

In 2024, a casino redevelopment proposal threatened Coney Island. Though ultimately rejected in 2025 thanks to community activism and fierce local opposition, the proposal underscored how fragile this historic landscape remains. My project becomes a documentation of not only what was nearly lost, but more importantly, of what the community chose to protect. While Coney has been photographed for generations, few long-term projects have explored it in color — a surprising reality given its vibrancy and iconic visual language. With this work, I aim to expand that canon by bringing a queer and trans contemporary perspective to a history long dominated by male photographers. Through image and prose, the work invites viewers to experience not only what Coney Island looks like, but how it feels. The project is an act of devotion—to Coney Island and the people who fill it with life; to color, memory, and light.