Another Side Naidelyn Contreras

With my project, I wanted to convey the idea of how I felt in both countries that I spent time in; Mexico and the United States, specifically New York. I wanted to find parallels and connections between both areas and depict the way I see the different environments and communities; feeling the busyness and gloominess of the city versus the vibrancy and freedom of the countryside of Mexico.

What drove me to make this project was the sadness and isolation I was feeling as the winter months passed. Staying in the city, repeating the same cycle of school, homework and wondering how long this period of time would last for me. After some convincing and bringing up the idea to travel to Mexico, my parents agreed. I was excited to have some time away from the city and spend time with family and nature that I don’t really have the opportunity to do here. New York made me feel gloomy and unmotivated and I wanted to translate that into the NYC set of images with motion blur and the dullness of the photographs. Mexico makes me feel relaxed because of the greenery and how my whole family is there.

It gives me an opportunity to connect to them more and experience where my parents grew up because in the city, there isn’t much open space to spend time in since the buildings are tall and take up every part of the street.

Naidelyn Contreras is a 16 years old Mexican-American, born and raised in New York City. She is a sophomore at East Side Community High School in the East Village. Photography has always been a passion for her when she’d walk down the East River with her family or take photos of her friends when they’d ask. As she continues to explore her focus as an imagemaker, she wants to focus on capturing the aspect of family in Mexico, exploring where her parents grew up before immigrating to the U.S, and what captures her eye.

This project was created in Future Imagemakers in the Department of Photography and Imaging at Tisch School of the Arts, NYU in Spring 2022.

To go to the 2022 Future Imagemakers Gallery, click here.