In his own words…
My name is Bazooka Films 77, I'm from Chicago and welcome to my story.
At birth my head swelled and cracked from excessive fluid in the brain. I was diagnosed with a medical condition known as hydrocephalus and immediately I underwent emergency surgery.
The doctors gave my family the bad news, they were told that I would never be able to walk again. They made it quite clear that I would be confined to a wheelchair. Thankfully for me and my family they were wrong, yes I was a miracle child.
Today, I live my life with a cerebral shunt, a pump attached to a catheter. This device drains fluid from my head. If I tried to go through life without it my head would expand and I wouldn’t be here.
Growing up, I never wanted to be an artist, I did other things. It wasn't until my mid 20's, that I discovered video and photography. Very quickly it became more than a hobby, and more of an obsession, a great passion. This passion became a purpose, I wanted to use it to help my family, and to prove you can still pursue the things you love, even if you have to overcome barriers.
You may be unaware that I'm an award winning filmmaker and published photographer. This didn't come without struggle in the early stages of my career. I became homeless whilst pursuing my dream, but I was desperate to make it to make a name for myself. I slept in abandoned buildings, and in the backseat of a car that belonged to my ex-wife. Some evenings I would walk the streets, looking for a place to crash. I did my fair share of couch surfing back then.
Life was really difficult, much more than what anyone should have to go through, especially when dealing with a serious illness. Things all got to much at one point during this time. I couldn't handle it and couldn't find the support I needed, and was ready 'to go', but when I'd hit rock bottom I found some inner strength, something good told me to hold on. I tell you this because this is my story of who I am, and of what I've overcome and what it took to do what I love
I am Bazooka Films 77
Image 1 (Above)
Taken whilst filming for a new documentary that I'm working with legendary graffiti bomber MKUE.
Image 2
Captured in Detroit. I lived there for about a year, and in that time I really took advantage of what the city had to offer. I really took to urbex exploring, it has become a passion of mine. I really love the sense of capturing the history, of what was there and what remains.
Image 3
This photo was taken in Chicago. This would be considered benching in the graffiti culture, the photography of trains covered in graffiti. In this instance the train was very special to me. The train in this photo was painted by a good friend who had sadly passed away before I took this photo.
Image 4
Taken in an abandoned theatre, once again in Detroit. I really just enjoyed the feel of this photo.
Image 5
Finally the fifth photo, taken in the midwest. On this night I captured the mood of the exiting of the artist.
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Words: Matt Strutt - Bazooka Films 77
Images: Bazooka Films
Contributors: Aaron Darveniza
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