preservation activism against erasure.
The absence of standing architecture is often mistaken for the absence of place. Throughout Texas, numerous Freedom Colonies remain excluded from institutional archives, historical maps, and systems of public recognition. North uses photography as a form of preservation activism, confronting historical erasure by prioritizing descendant knowledge, community memory, and physical evidence. This practice creates alternative pathways to document Black geographies and sustain their presence in the American landscape.
spatial imaging and preservation methods.
North integrates traditional photography with expanded media to create enduring visual and spatial records of Freedom Colonies. Photogrammetry converts overlapping photographs into three-dimensional models of surviving structures and material evidence. LiDAR captures spatial measurements and physical features of the landscape, while 360-degree imaging documents sites within their surrounding environments. Geolocated photography and interactive StoryMaps connect contemporary landscapes to archival records, oral histories, and descendant-held knowledge.
Together, these methods establish a research trail that extends beyond institutional archives, supporting historical recognition, preservation planning, and future generations. Rather than reconstructing an undocumented past, North uses spatial evidence to challenge the assumption that physical absence means historical absence.