Chicago Dibs

Chicago Dibs (2021) documents a sacred urban tradition invoked by drivers. Making parking space during winters implies shoveling snow from the street. To guard this spot and efforts, drivers recur to random placeholders called dibs. As extensions of body and property, dibs make a claim over public space.

This series portrays 31 dibs and their transformation from winter to spring. As the snow melts, the dibs soil and are confused with trash. By spring, the signals that mark public space become muddled.

As dibs alter the functionality of objects and mix signals, I encased the photographic portraits of dibs in aluminum salad containers