The Happiness Project has issued two new images in the series of vintage photos posted on vacant buildings. The life-sized black and white images are of people who appear to be spontaneously “happy.” One is of “Maggie and Aggie” Long and shows an older woman leaning into her beloved granddaughter who is holding a doll. The other new poster is of a suffrage rally and is from the Library of Congress collection. Pictured are Rose Sanderson with the trumpet, and also, Elsie McKenzie (L) and Elisabeth Freeman (R); all three are clearly excited and having fun.
The anonymous project organizers are careful to post only on boarded up buildings or with permission, and in a temporary way. “This is as much about re-populating abandoned buildings as it is about art and history,” according to a statement sent to the Binghamton Bridge. On some of the same buildings another project has appeared asking people for their opinion. The stickers “I want _______in my neighborhood.” give residents a way to let others know how they would prefer their neighborhoods to look. (See related story on this site.)
The Happiness Project has captured some attention from residents as well as nationally, especially as a topic of conversation on the Facebook site, “I’m from Binghamton.”
The Happiness Project also requests vintage images that include more diversity in race, age, etc. The Binghamton Bridge will act as a conduit for messages: email binghamtonbridgeATgmail.com.