Carlos Paronis

I own 45+ house plants and 5 pets

- Fun Fact about Carlos

Artist statement

I am using photography to create a record of the diverse, yet changing community where I grew up: Cambridge, Massachusetts. The project is a way to show my love for my community and my apprehension about the ways it is changing. It is made out of a care for my community and place that feels as if its development is out of control. 

As I’ve gotten older I’ve become more aware of the city’s fraught history and its impending change. Colonized in 1630, Cambridge is one of the first cities in America. It is now home to multiple universities such as MIT and Harvard and billion dollar biotech companies, such as Pzier and Moderna. Both the universities and the companies have recently been expanding, building lab spaces, office buildings and housing – expanding at what feels to many to be an overly rapid rate. These developments change the dynamics and power balance of the city. Which neighborhoods get which resources? Where does development happen and what kinds of development take place? Who benefits from all this change? 

Census data shows the number of people of color living in Cambridge has been declining exponentially since the 80’s. In the mid 20th century, industrial businesses started closing and the city started encouraging more science based companies to move in. But in what part of the city did they build these spaces? Usually where the highest concentration of people of color lived. This led to rising costs and the displacement of residences who were mainly people of color. Cambridge acts like this doesn't happen anymore, interestingly enough in 2023 the city allowed a company to build a 2.5 billion dollar lab space next to the neighborhood with the highest concentration of ethnically diverse, lower income and English as a second language residents. This is a recurring pattern of development that the city does not talk about. Cambridge has a certain stereotype since it is home to big names, this casts a shadow over the majority of the residents. Called liberal, it claims to be built on diversity, education, innovation and community but one must wonder who the city is really for. Through interviewing and photographing the city's people, I am learning and recording the complex thoughts, experiences, lineages, and feelings that comprise this city. 

I am photographing new construction, old buildings, landscapes and the people who live in Cambridge. These subjects consider themselves long term members of the community. For the portraits I ask each subject to bring me to a location in the city that holds meaning to them. That is the location where we take the photo. When we get there, we often talk about past memories the places hold. Sometimes the location they bring me to looks completely different from how they remember. One sitter will often introduce me to another, and in this way my community has expanded. Connecting to the community on a deeper level has shown me how unique the people and their stories are.

I am using a process called Trichromatic (3 color separation) photography in some of the landscapes. I take 3 different photos months apart, using three colored filters, and merge them together. I am able to show the construction happening over time. The resulting images make the new buildings look otherworldly. I am using this process to show how the rapidly changing architecture feels out of place and unreal, as if it is imposing itself on the community.

This project is inspired by artists such as Dawoud Bey, Gregory Halpern, Diana Lixenberg, Dave Jordano and William Carmago for their long term community-based projects. I also look at Rinko Kawuchi, for her use of metaphorical landscapes, and at Duane Micheals and Florian Maier-Aichen for their use of multiple exposures. I want this project to be a truthful representation of a community that means so much to me. I want to share the thoughts, feelings and memories of the people here. I hope it makes people question the complexity of what America calls positive change and who the change is actually for.

Biography

Cambridge, Massachusetts (born in Guatemala)

Carlos Paronis is a 21 year old student at Massachusetts College of Art and Design and is currently pursuing a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Photography. His work comes from his belief that everything in life is interconnected. Working with form, textures, patterns, lighting and colors, his images capture moments that pull him out of the ordinary flow of time. Carlos enjoys experimentation in his photographic practice and likes to merge his work with other Art mediums such as drawing, collage and sculpture.