Suburban Station - A Place of Residence

All photographs displayed in this post are the work of photographer, Shan Cerrone. To view the photoset in it's entirety   and other work produced by Cerrone feel free to check out his website here. 

Numerous people walk through Suburban Station in center city Philadelphia without ever giving much thought as to what the subterranean tunnels may be used for aside from the obvious. Every day numerous people hurry through system of underground passageways to reach various destinations and train lines, simply trying to escape the dingy hallways. What many people fail to realize is that to some citizens these tunnels provide a sense of home and security.

The images found in this post were taken by second year Drexel Photography student, Shan Cerrone. Cerrone spent nearly two months hanging around Philadelphia's underground concourse familiarizing himself with those who use the tunnels for shelter, while simultaneously developing a bond with the residents. In his own words, Cerrone states, "... I thought this would be a good opportunity to live this project. While searching for where I could do it I found Suburban Station, and realized there was more than just people that lived on the streets, but a community down there..."

When I originally learned of these images, and other more "pleasing" images of Philadelphia attractions, I originally hoped to make a post about the many faces of Philadelphia. More specifically, I wanted to display the images of Philadelphia's homeless people side by side with a more conservative set of images portraying attractions such as the Schuylkill river walk. At this point, after spending at least a solid week looking at the photo's taken by Shan, watching a brief interview he gave about the project, and personally talking to Shan, I have decided against the original idea. 

When you take the time to look beyond the images, pushing from your head thoughts like, "Oh okay, here's some pictures of homeless people.." You can slowly begin to feel the sense of community that Cerrone touches upon in his interview. Think about how it must feel to be "just another homeless person on the street." With the hustle of everyday life, it can be very easy to pass by certain individuals and not even pay them the time of day.

Feeling rejected by society, ignored or mistreated by the majority, and at times even abandoned; the individuals who have come to see the concourse as home may have a little something to look forward to each night. A sense of being needed by someone else, a sense that there will be someone there to comfort you, even a sense of family and belonging.