Kenny Smith, Transylvania, Louisiana 1999

Deborah Luster captured Kenny Smith in an undated tintype photograph in Transylvania, Louisiana. Smith holds a model house, raised on stilts. This image immediately calls to mind not just shelter, but elevated protection—a motif echoing Noah’s Ark or even the Tower of Babel. The impulse to elevate one's dwelling appears throughout time and across cultures. Think of the pile dwellings of ancient lake settlements or the cliffside architecture of Mesa Verde, each a response to specific environmental or social pressures. The house on stilts speaks of vulnerability, an attempt to rise above the flood, both literal and metaphorical. Here, the house becomes a symbol of hope and resilience in the face of nature's potent destructive forces. This image resonates with our primal anxieties, reminding us of the transient nature of our existence. In dreams, houses often represent the self. Smith stands as a modern-day Atlas, carrying the weight of home and heritage on his shoulders.