Wilkinsburg

Think of three different ways—other than print—to tell a story. (We’ll assume that your piece has a print component.) Give a descriptive one-paragraph summary for each. Post idea by the end of class.

I was doing community service in Wilkinsburg this weekend. It's a piece of Pittsburgh that seems to embody the general idea of how the city is both developing and underdeveloped. You can walk down one street, take a simple right turn, and boarded up houses with bullet holes set into the wood always stop your movement. The erie feeling is unshakeable when you look through the windows and see children's toys abandoned on the floor. Can you help your curiosity at this point? Who lived there? What happened to them? What rush pushed them out of their homes, leaving behind such fragile details such as their children's toys? I remember standing and staring at a few buildings, wondering of the story that left them behind.

1] I'd set the audio of the Main St. to a photo essay of buildings and streets such as this - light playful sounds, children laughing, etc etc. And then I'd reverse it - the silence of the abandoned sections would be against a photo essay of the main street (which is filled with murals, terribly vibrant colors over remarkably clean streets).

2] A then and now focus on abandoned shops/stores. This would incorporate video interviews taken from the locals who were around when the now abandoned shops were actually open for business. Blueprints and old photographs would show how the space used to be, paired with new blueprints and photographs of how things are now. Also, if possible, a graph of profit and business from the initial opening onto closing.

3] Map of Lot Abandonment. This would pinpoint the gaps in neighborhood streets - who occupies where, which houses exist without neighbors, the lots that have been completely demolished, the houses that are for sale. The effect would be like teeth missing from a full mouth.