American Idyll - A Lyrical Interrogation of The American Dream

• Photographer
  Todd R Darling
• Agency / Studio
  Todd R Darling
• Prizes
  Silver in Book/Documentary

Born and raised in New Jersey, 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. Paterson is the second most densely populated city. 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.

Todd R. Darling is a photographer based in Hong Kong for 16 years, where he began his career photographing the Umbrella Movement. He studied Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism at the ICP. Todd recently completed work on a documentary project that began in 2016, about Paterson NJ. The project, inspired by local poets William Carlos Williams and Allen Ginsberg, is a lyrical interrogation of the American dream told through the singular experience of America’s industrial city and its people. He’s currently studying at the Savannah College of Arts and Design.