I first noticed the hidden infrastructure of Providence, Rhode Island during my first summer in the city, in 2014. I was taking a walk, and glanced down just as I was stepping over a tiny plaque buried directly in the sidewalk. It was a mark of the concrete pourer.
Several thoughts sprang to mind: Who was H. S. Lipshiz? When was this sidewalk poured? Why was the plaque designated as being in East Providence, when I was now definitively in the East Side of Providence? When did that designation change?
I realized that these tiny city clues were everywhere: in maker’s marks, in manhole covers, in the graffiti construction workers spray on streets. They leave indications of when modifications were made, what companies existed at what times, and serve as reminders of the utilities we enjoy every day without noticing.
This collection of photos is a quiet celebration of the beauty that lies in our everyday encounters with our cities.
