"I've seen a lot of beautiful things with a heavy heart." - Albert Camus

Gravity of a Shimmering Hope is a series of images that depict Lake Merritt as it is today. It explores how the enduring beauty of the lake coexists with a raw, gritty reality often present in the heart of urban settings. Beauty and sadness exist together here—at times, they are inseparable. Lake Merritt is actually a tidal lagoon fed by the estuary, which connects to San Francisco Bay. In the 1860s, Dr. Samuel Merritt, then Mayor of Oakland, spearheaded a plan to dam the marshland to create an urban lake. In 1870, Lake Merritt gained the distinction of being America’s first National Wildlife Refuge. Lake Merritt has been called the “Crown Jewel of Oakland,” and it has always been a source of pride for East Bay residents; however, pressures of a declining economy and rising social issues have hurt the attendance and upkeep of Lake Merritt. Despite this, Lake Merritt is a special place with numerous layers of significance: it is a wildlife refuge, a meeting place, a cultural hub, and a shimmering source of hope for all Oaklanders.

Note: This project is a work in progress.