Photography Exhibition: Homeward Bound: New Orleans after hurricane Katrina

In August 2005 hurricane Katrina swept through New Orleans. The levees broke and water flooded the city. At it’s peak 80% of New Orleans was under water. Once the water receded the city was left covered in a thick grey dust. The only reminder of the water levels was the tidemark that remained around each property. Without people, cars and electricity all that was left was an eerie silence.

Six weeks after hurricane Katrina, Mary-Jane Maybury revisited the city as people began to come back. She accompanied them as they returned home for the first time, witnessing all their emotions as they saw for themselves the devastation and total destruction of their homes and possessions.
Using only natural light, a medium format camera and a tripod, Mary-Jane captured a series of hauntingly beautiful photographs that document the powerful story of Katrina’s path and how she affected the ordinary people of the city.

This August it is six years since hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Whilst the tourist centre of the city has returned to normal, a third of the buildings that were damaged or destroyed are still uninhabitable. Most of these empty derelict properties are in the worst hit Lower Ninth Ward. Unable to afford to rebuild many people have simply abandoned their homes.

Mary-Jane photographed these empty buildings at night. In contrast to the bright lights of the French Quarter these eerie images show the dark and menacing side of a city still struggling to rebuild.

Some of these photographs have been widely published and this is a great opportunity to see them in print, together with Mary-Jane's subsequent work in New Orleans.