The interest to document Bushwick came out of curiosity and the sheer fact that this, like other neighborhoods, are going through rapid change. I’ve lived here for almost 8 years and it’s already so different today than from the year after year since I moved in. It will continue to change years and decades after. The project was conceived during the beginning of the pandemic partly because of the lock down and the fact that I couldn’t commute far to take photos. This made me explore more of the area of where I live. What started as something of convenience and curiosity has over the years become an attachment and fond appreciation of the people, culture, and community here. Through this project, I’ve gotten to meet and become friends with a lot of the “regulars” here where I photograph and learned so much about their roots, history, story and Bushwick currently as a whole. 

Deep down, the attachment I have for Bushwick stems from my own familiar upbringings. I grew up in South Philly as a Vietnamese American immigrant. I spent my whole life in the city and went to public school where it was very urban and diverse. It seemed that every one of my friends at the time were similar to me in that they also came from immigrant families new to this country. My parents worked night and day to put food on the table while at the same time trying to adapt to this foreign land. A lot of the parts of Bushwick I document are full of people and stories in that I find similar to my own family and friends growing up. These people bring and have brought richness, color, culture, and their own sense of community to the neighborhood. It’s why I capture it and it’s become a way for me to share a side of New York City that most don’t get a chance to see from the outside.

In addition to Bushwick, I also photograph various other neighborhoods across the many boroughs of New York City coincidently all under an above ground train. I have shared my Bushwick photos as it’s the community where I live but if you’re interested I have a bodies of work for neighborhoods like Jackson Heights, South Williamsburg, Borough Park, Brighton Beach, and more. The overall project is called “Under the Tracks” due to the shared connection between them all.