East 127 Street & Harlem River

In August of 1945 my great grandfather Giovanni Pietro Faoro, an Italian immigrant, drowned in the Harlem River – a result of undetermined circumstances. His body was discovered near the corner of East 127th street and what’s now Harlem River Drive. In autumn of 2019 I visited this intersection and retrieved some water using a bucket and rope. At my request, a friend of mine recorded the occasion on super 8mm. After processing the film, I submerged it in the river water for a number of days.