Characters of the Gowanus

The Watchdog from Characters of Gowanus on Vimeo.

Check out this fab multimedia website made by Sarah Portlock and Rob Anderson. It is the culmination of "many hours of inhaling eau de Gowanus". The duo has done a thorough job presenting all sides and facets of the that neighborhood and features interviews with both pro and anti-superfund supporters, the EPA's Walter Mugdon, photographers, scientists, denizens of the american can factory etc...lots of great video and photographs, check it out!

From their press release:

"The beloved waterway and surrounding neighborhood has been in the news a lot lately, but there's more behind the facts of this long-awaited Superfund cleanup. Amidst the muck and stink, there's a vibrant, thriving community of New Yorkers — Brooklynites, really — who care deeply about this post-industrial neighborhood, its diverse history, and its rich potential. You may know these citizens as your neighbors, friends, or someone you see regularly crossing the Carroll Street bridge, but these are also the people who have managed to thrive on what the neighborhood offers them. Artists, entertainers, and entrepreneurs are inspired by the area's landscapes and details, and have opened up studios, event spaces, and businesses in former manufacturing warehouses. Scientists have discovered micro-organisms that might be used to create new medicines. Architects and urban designers imagine waterfront esplanades, recreation and a thriving oyster population in and along the canal’s shores. And its own longtime residents aren’t going to let planning for the future happen without their input.

This Web site, created as a multimedia thesis at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, features those stories and captures the passion and the energy of this unwavering breed of Brooklynite — the characters of Gowanus. We also created an interactive timeline of the Gowanus Canal from the 1600s to present, interviewed the EPA regional Superfund director, Walter Mugdan, and explain just what it is that's going on here."

Click here to see the whole thing!