Idyll
Idyll
A lyrical interrogation of the American Dream set in Paterson, New Jersey.
Born and raised in New Jersey, Todd R. Darling photographed Paterson because it was a prototype for industrial cities and represents the myth of America. Inspired by local poets William Carlos Williams and Allen Ginsberg, Darling wandered the city crafting an allegory about America, delivered through the city of Paterson and her people. Paterson is the second most densely populated city in America after New York. 150,000 people are packed into eight square miles. It’s home to fifty ethnic groups. There’s about twenty-five million people in America, living in small cities like Paterson. Founded in 1792 by Alexander Hamilton as a corporation, Paterson was ruled by corrupt industrialists who paid no taxes and crippled the city's development. The consequences of its corrupted origins ripple through it today. In black and white, American Idyll depicts a broken city that mirrors American society.