Project Start 2017 - 2019 -- Divinity is a joke. It doesn’t exist. I can’t go anywhere and see, feel, or hear something that is truly divine because it's an idea - like food, tasting “good or bad,” its subjective. In this series, Trotter visualizes his subjects aligned with modern depictions of the "Anglo-Saxon/Christianity” angel. In Plain Sight is a visual diary of people living their everyday lives. The wings on the backs of my subjects don’t exist… unless you’re viewing through my rose-colored lens. Understanding the historically traumatic relationship between marginalized folk and colonial machinations like religion, Trotter seeks to comment on ideologies that refer to all people being made in the image of the divine. This series serves as a montage of vignettes that interpret contemporary existence. Inspired by Melanated folk in America, the series questions how we would approach one another in daily life if we imagined angel wings on each passerby’s shoulders. -- If awarded the Lucie Scholarship, I plan to utilize the funds to support the development of my first monograph featuring the In Plain Sight photographic series. The publication will feature interviews, and forewords featuring prominent arts workers and organizers in conversation with myself (artist Trotter). I will collaborate with a local publisher in Detroit and debut the monograph at celebrated retailers; Source Book Sellers & Someday Fine Art Gallery & Bakery.
