• Below Ten Thousand Feet
    • Symptoms of an Anxious Mind
    • A Love Letter to Our Elders
    • Allegiance
    • Not My Daughter
    • Pre-Abandoned
    • Master-Planned
    • Distressed
    • Bio
    • Exhibition History
    • Press
    • Writing
    • Lectures
    • Curatorial Work
  • Contact
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Amanda Dahlgren Photography

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    • Below Ten Thousand Feet
    • Symptoms of an Anxious Mind
    • A Love Letter to Our Elders
  • Projects
    • Allegiance
    • Not My Daughter
    • Pre-Abandoned
    • Master-Planned
    • Distressed
  • About
    • Bio
    • Exhibition History
    • Press
    • Writing
    • Lectures
    • Curatorial Work
  • Contact
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Distressed

When a deep-seated desire to be accepted for who we are—in a culture that values what we have—becomes twisted and perverse, an awe-inspiring home in the right neighborhood can feel like the ultimate expression of worth. In the recent housing boom, that desire was exploited by everyone from real estate agents to mortgage brokers to Wall Street traders to politicians. We are now dealing with the aftermath of people grasping to fill their inner void with homes they could not afford.

Distressed is a series of fine art photographs, produced as a social commentary on our obsession with the grandiose over the genuine. At the time of capture, I abstracted the subjects—financially distressed properties on the San Diego real estate market—for the purpose of directing the viewer away from depiction and into visceral connection. The narrative is further enhanced by a title pulled directly from the home’s MLS listing, as well as a visual layering of the MLS text on the photograph. The visual style of the series is chaotic, intense, and saccharine, echoing the exploitation, desperation, and delusion swirling around these homes.

View fullsize 7254 Draper Ave, 92037: "Village living at it's finest!"
View fullsize 7640 Seattle Dr, 91941: "Spacious master suite downstairs with jacuzzi tub"
View fullsize 7643 Seattle Dr, 91941: "Master Suite with Jacuzzi Tub located Downstairs"
View fullsize 5160 White Emerald Dr, 92130: "Top school districts"
View fullsize 2375 Montclair St, 92104: "Must see this craftsman style home"
View fullsize 12867 Seabreeze Farms Dr, 92130: "IN HIGHLY ACCREDITED SCHOOL DISTRICT"
View fullsize 17311 Ralphs Ranch Rd, 92127: "20x20 tiled first floor."
View fullsize 2539 Lone Jack Rd, 92024: "Ozzie and Harriet could have lived here!"
View fullsize 7514 Via Capri, 92037: "You'll fall in love"
View fullsize 11354 Fortino Pt, 92131: "BANK WILL DO NO FURTHER REPAIRS"
View fullsize 6532 MESA NORTE, 92130: "STUNNING GOURMET KITCHEN, AND ELEVATOR AS WELL!"
View fullsize 12256 Berea Ct, 92064: "The items mentioned are not guaranteed to work."
View fullsize 14803 Whispering Ridge Rd, 92131: "First impressions with set the tone"
View fullsize 5385 La Jolla Mesa Dr, 92037: "Most of the bedrooms have ocean views."
View fullsize 2817 Lloyd St, 92117: "Ocean & City Light Views (protected by CC&R's)."
View fullsize 10607 Birch Bluff Ave, 92131: "Everything you hoped for and more."
View fullsize 10611 Birch Bluff Ave, 92131: "This is an extremely quality house"
View fullsize 3617 Ingraham St, 92109: "Built in 2005 with to many upgrades to list them all."