In 1996, 1998, and 2001, significant flood events occurred in the area of the Alewife Brook, situated along the borders of Arlington, Belmont, and Cambridge, Massachusetts. Roads were closed, homes, businesses, and vehicles were flooded and damaged, and sewer lines backed up, causing extreme unsanitary conditions in the area. After the 1998 and during the 2001 floods, we went into the area to record video to document the extent of flooding near the brook.
We reasoned that still photographs, although helpful in documenting flooding, often fail to show the surrounding location, leaving the viewer without perspective. To this end, we decided to walk with the camera running most of the time, panning carefully from one area to the next, to help show the viewer the location of each flooded area. Therefore, both segments are essentially unedited.
This program relates to issues of climate and weather, urban and suburban development, hydrology, and wastewater infrastructure.
Together, both segments run slightly under one hour.
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