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RAWDETROIT is a foundation by Shawn Mangenje and Paige P. The RAWDetroit Foundation is a photography company made to give people the inside look of Detroit. It captures the essence of waking up in Detroit, and the night life of the city. It shows the city in it's truest form (you could say in it's most raw form)
Not only has the company come together to create an outstanding instagram, it also supports small businesses, brings Detroit artists together, and gives back to the community.
That is the beginning of this project, giving back to the artist community.
The concept of the design shown was to capture the essence of Detroit.
Representation goes a long way in the city. Characters in the design represent portions of Detroit that are iconic to its being. A blue lion would represent not only the NFL team that brings joy to the sports fans, but the leaders born and raised in the city.
A smiling woman would be the joy and magic the city offers. This was directly related to a piece by Stevie Wonder and his piece in Big Seans album "Detroit 2". It gives off the power and love in Detroit. Coming to the city gives you experiences you can't seem to recreate anywhere else.
And lastly, 'the green guy in Detroit', AKA The Spirit of Detroit. A entity that is iconic to the name of the city. The spirit represents the good and bad in the portions of the city. It represents the beauty behind the madness.
Not only is Detroit built on the love of the city. It is built on the history of the people who came before ourselves. That's why it differs from what the people see in the media verses actually being there. While there is bad, there is bad in everything, there is also good.
WHAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN
the design was a free for all...
this meant there was a flow of creativity to make the design however Detroit may have been interpreted. This meant not only taking in my knowledge of the city but using other peoples surroundings as well. So when I created these prints I asked people, "what is the first thing you think of when I say Detroit?"
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