City Under Exposure

Utilizing our collective archive from the Cincinnati Public Library, City Under Exposure explores natural disasters that have affected our community. Eight photographs captured by citizens are selected to represent some of the most extraordinary moments from 140 years of Cincinnati’s past. From the devastating floods of 1883 and 1937 along with the tornados of 1969 and 1974, these historical images capture the (un)common experience that can sometimes evade the vernacular.

These visual records are illuminated through unique soundtracks, created by artist Britni Bicknaver, that blend oral accounts with environmental sounds. This pairing of sound and image brings these static artifacts to life creating experiences that touch upon the personal. By immersing the viewer into lived experiences of generations past, these moments in time can give new generations of Cincinnatians a new perspective and connection to a place they thought they knew so well.

Curators: James DaMico and Britni Bicknaver