Photo Essay: Rotted Desires
I think I’m finished this photo essay on used condoms. Performing in the Vagina Monologues in Addis Ababa last month helped purge some of the frustrations that motivated the project.
Sex work is prevalent and highly visible in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital. So, it was not hard to guess why a quiet residential street near my home there was consistently littered with used condoms. At night, the dark, winding road offered a reasonably safe location for transactions. This doesn’t explain why I decided to photograph the condoms, though.
Read the rest of the artist statement and see the full set of photos on my portfolio site. If you have an idea for a better title of the essay, I’d love to hear your suggestions.
Update June 14, 2010: Thanks Jessica Berta for title suggestions.
Very interesting and creative, your used condom series. I liked your description as well. It struck me the differences in the styles. The experiences you have had as a young, foreign female in Ethiopia and the photos of the sex-trade condoms has an impact. I would like to see this project grow.
Great job, Ida.
Barb Teed, NSU alum