During the dot com phase of San Francisco during the mid 1990’s, a portion of the Mission District was called the North Eastern Mission Industrial Section or NEMIS. This term was as short lived as the dot com era. I lived in this section of San Francisco during this period. As I walked the streets surrounding my home, I noticed used condoms daily. As a photographer, I decided to document these objects. As repelling as the condoms were/are, they remain important markers of gentrification in many urban areas. With the ever-growing division of wealth in our society, people either live in gated communities or in areas where the streets are littered with condoms and heroin needles. Prostitution is a city-wide community issue, yet not everyone has to deal with used condoms on a daily basis. These photos led directly to my BRONZE CONDOM PROJECT.
