A Path of Impermanence: On Collective Memory, Testimony and Austin's Changes

For one week only in October 2024, Future Front hosted a guest exhibition by documentary photographer (and Future Front 2024 Resident Artist) Liz Moskowitz.

The archival photo project, titled A Path of Impermanence: life along a highway expansion, featured portraits of residents, workers and community members directly impacted by the construction of the I-35 Capital Express Central Project, alongside interview quotes and onsite artifacts.

Continue reading to learn more about the show, as well as Liz Moskowitz.

✹ ABOUT THE SHOW, A PATH OF IMPERMANENCE: LIFE ALONG A HIGHWAY EXPANSION

**Liz Moskowitz** is a photographer and filmmaker. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York she has lived in Austin, Texas for almost 20 years. Much of her work stems from a compassionate attempt to understand and honor the dignity and nuances of people, places, and issues. She approaches each individual and community that she photographs with intentionality and an open-mind. Her photo projects oftentimes include direct quotes from participants as a way to make the photographic process more collaborative and inclusive. Broadly speaking, topics her work has explored include access to mental health services in rural areas, criminal justice reform, efforts to mitigate climate change, reproductive health care, and the cultural consequences of urban development.

“A PATH OF IMPERMANENCE” features photo prints, interview quotes and on-site artifacts.

A Path of Impermanence: life along a highway expansion is a photo exhibit by local photographer Liz Moskowitz that includes archival photographic prints, interview quotes, and site-specific artifacts. Moskowitz’s images of the people, places, and landscapes impacted by the large-scale I-35 highway expansion speak to broader themes of displacement, community, memory, and change. All images were shot on 120mm film with a medium format camera.

The I-35 Capital Express Central Project is currently underway, the beginning of potentially a decade of construction to widen the main highway that runs through Austin, Texas. It is the largest expansion of I-35 in Austin’s history and more than 50 businesses are being displaced and countless lives are being impacted. During times of momentous change, it can feel like the future is happening now and the present is already a memory. How can we collectively remember what will soon no longer be here?

“The businesses that I focused on were really small, local businesses. Many of them have been around for decades, and they really have a cultural impact.

Some people got enough money from TxDOT to be able to buy a piece of property, and they’re excited that they’ll hopefully never have to move again. Some places don’t have to move ... but they might be impacted by the construction and feel a little uncertain. Some places are still in limbo.

I noticed what a lot of what existed was either just documentation of the buildings that were going to be relocated or torn down, or the end result: the fancy ribbon cutting. What I felt was missing was really portraits and testimonies of the people that were being impacted by a change outside of their control.”

— Liz Moskowitz, as reported in KUT News

*Read LIZ MOSKOWITZ’s interview with KUT austin HERE.

View select prints from the exhibit below (courtesy of LIZ MOSKOWITZ):

VIEW ALL WORKS FROM THE EXHIBIT →

EXPLORE Photos from the exhibit’s COMMUNITY reception:

The reception—hosted in The Future Front House on Saturday, October 19—included a panel Q&A between Rosa Fry, Programs Manager at Preservation Austin, and small business owners Alma of Escuelita del Alma, So-Han of West China Tea and Jay of Cafe Hornitos. All photos by Jeffrey Jin