Please note that this projection can only be viewed from outside the ICP Museum and is most visible after sunset.

In 2015, the small town of Austin, Indiana (pop. 4,300) experienced an outbreak of HIV and hepatitis C due to rampant unsafe needle use while using the opioid Opana ER. Two years later, the community is still finding ways to navigate the ravages of addiction, the government sanctioned needle exchange, and the economic decline that has damaged the community for decades. Since April 2017, Philip Eastman has spent time in Austin and Scott County, speaking to doctors, nurses, former addicts, and community members to cover what happens when the news cameras leave and a town starts to rebuild.

Eastman shares reflections on his work in an interview with curator Wesley Verhoeve.

About the Artist

Philip Eastman was born and raised in the small towns dotting the coast north of San Francisco. He learned to shoot film as a teenager, and then promptly left his camera in a box until uncovering it five years ago during a cross-city move. They’ve been inseparable ever since. Philip’s interests include: Jungian psychology, Brazilian funk music, mental health awareness, and Alan Lomax recordings. He believes storytelling has the power to heal and that humans process collectively through shared narratives.