NOVEMBER 2 0 1 7 I BOROMAG.COM 53
in New York; we’re just constantly trying to
go where we’re going,” he said. “We’re always
running about, so you may walk down
the street, and unless someone’s wearing
something extravagantly interesting, you
just generally pass by people.”
He added that “Astorians” gives residents a
chance to appreciate their neighbors.
“This gives you a moment to stop and
look at people and appreciate them for
some of the unique characteristics they
have, whether that’s what they’re wearing
or how they’re looking, all the diversity of
character they embody.”
The portraits are able to give viewers a tiny
glimpse into others’ lives:
“It’s a small snapshot into 1-second window
of this person’s life,” Dutile said. “Take
a look at them and appreciate them in this
singular moment. That’s the idea behind it:
appreciate your fellow neighbors. Look at
all these cool people who live here in Astoria
with you.”
The photo collection isn’t meant to be a
cross-section of the neighborhood, but a look
at the Kinship customers on one specific day.
“The project isn't meant to be a full compendium
of the diversity of the neighborhood,
as it's definitely missing lots of different
groups that live here, most likely a lot
of lifelong natives, too,” Dutile said. “Rather,
it's meant to be a cool window into characters
of the neighborhood through the lens
of customers of Kinship Coffee. To do a full
diversity project would require a lot more
research and a different approach. This is
more a look at some interesting faces who
volunteered.”
Dutile expects the photos to be on display
for a few months, so be sure to take a look
before they’re gone.
The photographer gave the photo subjects
the opportunity to pick up a copy of
their photos as a thank-you for being a part
of the project, and he said he didn’t want to
commercialize the project.
Dutile said he had a fun time meeting
people in the neighborhood, and he’s
bumped into people after the project while
walking down the street or in the coffee
shop — an opportunity he wouldn’t usually
get while taking portraits around the world.
Dutile has loved having Astoria as his
home base throughout his travels.
“No matter where I go and travel in the
world, when I come home, I can go and
find the food there. I can go and travel
to Burma and then come back and go,
‘There’s probably some Burmese food
within 20 blocks that I can find here.’ I love
that experience of knowing that I can go to
all these different places and there’s little
bits of travel back here in Astoria.
“Astoria, to me, is sort of the perfect
area: you get a great community sense;
you get a really diverse neighborhood;
you have tons of amazing food; and it’s
easy enough to get into the city — and to
the airport, for me.”
Photos courtesy of Matt Dutile