Neighbor

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My neighbor Michele's ramshackle house on Sugarloaf Key was condemned when Hurricane Irma tore across the island in 2017, the roof ripped open in patches and parts of the floor collapsed. It had no power or running water, but Michele lived there anyway, creeping through her insect-infested hoard in the South Florida heat, scrounging for food in dumpsters, and ranting about neighbors trying to steal her property. Unable to accept the support neighbors offered and estranged from friends and family, Michele died alone in 2024.

 

After that, her house sat empty, the disorder of her environment reflecting her mind. This project uses the intimate details of Michele’s space, frozen in time, and the fragile traces of her life to explore issues of privacy, poverty, mental illness, and ageing alone in the South, inviting viewers to consider the communal obligations we hold toward those who slip beyond reach.