IN THIS INTERVIEW > 24 year-old American photographer Stephen Speranza discusses Wilmerding, a documentary photography series about a small town in Pennsylvania, USA originally built at the end of the 19th century to house the workforce of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company. The company’s progressive abandonment of the site from the 1980s on marked the decline of Wilmerding and its community.
Not only do histories and existence deserve not to be forgotten, their current existence is an equally important part of a much larger story that is shared in many other places. I’ve often thought about the transience of objects after the death of a loved
I’ve often thought about the transience of objects after the death of a loved one but have not considered the idea of the transience of people and places. Stephen Speranza does just that with his exploration of Wilmerding, Pennsylvania, a city where his grandfather lived most of his life. As a way to connect to place and understand his familial roots, Stephen spent time getting to know the city and it’s inhabitants. The result is a project that reflects the richness of place, not only in its history but in its current incarnation.
