Chantal Zakari asked thirteen incarcerated men if they would like to have a photograph of a place from the outside. She asked for specific instructions on how to make the pictures. The men drew diagrams, maps and wrote descriptions based on their memories of the place. She then traveled to each location and made the photographs. The requests were of childhood homes, high schools, locations of happiness and sadness, courthouses and places where their lives were irreversibly altered. Upon her return with the photographs, participants responded with a piece of writing that vary from childhood memory to epic fantasy.
At its core, this collection explores how an architectural space is remembered after years of incarceration. But the work evolved to an exploration of urban spaces, a reflection on changes due to gentrification, and in general, the psychological effect that architecture has on shaping our lives.
Pictures from the Outside includes photographs and text passages by Chantal Zakari, as well as archival photographs, diagrams, and notes by thirteen anonymous contributors. The combination of images and the accompanying texts is a collection of stories about seeking redemption.