PHOTOGRAPHY PORTFOLIO 2018 mykaela scarpace
THE BENINESE EXPERIENCE In fall 2017, I spent ten days traveling in Benin, Africa. The trip was part of the Wentworth Master of Architecture program. I traveled alongside my professor, John Ellis, and eleven classmates. We traveled to two very different settlements in Benin. The first Akpakpa-Dodomey, a neighborhood formed by contemporary refugees from Benin, Nigeria, Ghana and Togo, and the other Ganvie, a village built on water formed by refugees from the slave trade. We listened to and worked alongside local community members who welcomed us and shared their lives and stories with us. My experience in Benin taught me about community and how it relates to art and architecture. Benin is full of culture and full of life. The people, the food, the music, the clothes - everything is beaming with color and energy. I tried my best to capture and cherish specific people and aspects of Beninese culture. This portfolio is composed of the photographs from my traveling, consisting mainly of portraits of the people who inspired me and touched my heart in some way.
[portraits were featured in the Wentworth International Education Photo Exhibition, November 2017]
the first child who asked me for a “gift,� but settled for a photo instead
the girls running around without pants on, never letting go of each others hands
the precious wife and husband that welcomed us into their home and shared their stories with us
the girl who refused to let a plastic bag get in the way of striking a pose
the sassy girl at the cloth market who encouraged being photographed
the boy who tapped my shoulder and asked me to take a photo his face went from friendly to serious as soon as I held up my camera
the energetic and kind man who sold me a traditional African drum - after some bartering
the boys who embraced each other with great love and happiness as we listened to locals play music
the two boys who insisted that I take MANY photos of them - most involving the peace sign
the loudest man at the soccer game who really knew how to liven up the crowd
the young man who spent two days traveling to and teaching us about the village built on water that he grew up in
the boy who certainly wasn’t camera shy and who acted so casual about his modeling pose