Sol Del Valle

Sol del Valle archives the common spaces in the home of my neighborhood, North Hollywood. This archive seeks to record common spaces, cultures and people that represent my neighborhood for what it is. This project focuses on paying tribute to a diverse community and gentrification changes that my community is facing. When it comes to street photography or any of my personal work, I tend to use film. For this project I wanted to use color film since I love the process and the way the visuals look. I feel that this medium of choice is much more tactile to the audience. 

 My community has always inspired my artwork, it's something I've always look forward to when it comes to photographing. This project is personal to me since I've always wanted to pay tribute to my community that is rooted in diverse cultures. My neighborhood has always been so vibrant to me and it may not be exactly what many people think 'LA' is. Sol del Valle also includes some photographs of gentrification changes. In a sense, this project expresses personal and social issues. 

 My goal as an artist is to be able to show people how vibrant my neighborhood is. I hope it makes us realize how important our common spaces and diversity of cultures are. I want people to appreciate that not every part of Los Angeles is 'aesthetically pleasing' per se. I think in creating this artwork, I've learned that there will be many layers to uncover. I don’t think there will be an end point to my process of documenting this project. Which is why I will continue to document my community to show my appreciation.

Sol Del Valle by Elizabeth Roque