‘Our own dirtbag Narnia’: hanging out with the trash people – in pictures

Taken in a vacant lot behind photographer Jordan Baumgarten’s home in Philadelphia, these images capture the joy of a tight neighbourhood community

Main image: ‘I paid too damn much for this to only wear it once’ … Sadie in her wedding dress. Photograph: Jordan Baumgarten

  • The black and white photographs in The Group for Mutual Improvement were taken in a vacant lot behind photographer Jordan Baumgarten’s home in Philadelphia, where he and his neighbours spent much of their time together. His book is a document of these gatherings which took place over a period of 10 years. The Group for Mutual Improvement by Jordan Baumgarten is published by GOST books. All photographs: Jordan Baumgarten
    Over a period of 10 years, Baumgarten and his neighbours spent much of their time together in this lot. His book is a document of these gatherings.All photographs: Jordan Baumgarten

  • Jordan Baumgarten: ‘Our vacant lot was one of several in the neighbouring blocks. Many houses were empty or abandoned and life was wild in a way that allowed us to create our own world. For me, entering the lot was an escape I got to share with lovely trash animals and lovely trash people in our own little dirtbag Narnia’
    Our vacant lot was one of several in the neighboring blocks, many houses were empty or abandoned, and life was wild in a way that allowed us to create our own world. For me, entering the lot was an escape I got to share with lovely trash animals and lovely trash people in our own little dirtbag Narnia.

  • ‘During the beginning of lockdown, Anne and I taught our dog Walter to jump over obstacles made from random trash that had shown up over the years’
    “During the beginning of lockdown, Anne and I taught our dog Walter to jump over obstacles made from random trash that had shown up over the years.

  • ‘The first time I hung with all of the neighbours, Sadie randomly disappeared. Moments later, she emerged from her house in a wedding dress. She said, “I paid too damn much for this to only wear it once.” We spent the night drinking and smoking around the bonfire’
    “The first time I hung with all of the neighbors, Sadie randomly disappeared. Moments later, she emerged from her house in a wedding dress. She said, “I paid too damn much for this to only wear it once.” We spent the night drinking and smoking around the bonfire.

  • ‘Kris Lee moved in with his sister Sadie and her family. After they relocated to the Pacific north-west, he took over the lease in their house. He’s since moved to a different part of the neighbourhood but I still get to see him most days. He’s now one of the chefs two buildings down from where I work’
    “Kris Lee moved in with his sister Sadie and her family. After they relocated to the PNW, he took over the lease in their house. He’s since moved to a different part of the neighborhood but I still get to see him most days. He’s now one of the chefs two buildings down from where I work.

  • ‘When we gathered, we would talk for hours – often arguing the absurdity of human existence while our phone notifications alerted us to crimes in the area as they happened in real time’
    ‘When we gathered, we would talk for hours—often arguing the absurdity of human existence while our phone notifications alerted us to crimes in the area as they happened in real time......

  • ‘The harshness of the world was cushioned by the support of community. And, because of that, we improved the quality of each other’s lives tenfold’
    The images show both individuals and the details of the lot itself as nature slowly encroaches on the built environment—

  • ‘The images show both individuals and the details of the lot itself as nature slowly encroaches on the built environment – bats, moths and possums happily co-exist with the human visitors’
    bats, moths and possums happily co-exist with the human visitors.

  • The title of book is drawn from the Junto, also known as the Leather Apron Club – a diverse group of individuals Benjamin Franklin brought together in colonial-era Philadelphia for the purpose of mutual improvement
    The title of book is drawn from the Junto, also known as the Leather Apron Club— a diverse group of individuals Benjamin Franklin brought together in colonial era Philadelphia for the purpose of mutual improvement.

  • They would gather in a tavern to debate questions of morals, politics, current events, philosophy and local business. Baumgarten’s group was much less formal but the discussions felt no less vital
    They would gather in a tavern to debate questions of morals, politics, current events, philosophy, and local businesses. Baumgarten’s group was much less formal but the discussions no less vital.

  • ‘One summer, a close friend of ours was briefly homeless before he left for the west coast. Some nights he crashed on a couch but mostly he slept in the lot inside a tent. A Google Street View car went by during this time, cementing his tent in the internet’s memory’
    “One summer, a close friend of ours was briefly homeless before he left to trim pot on the west coast. Some nights he crashed on a couch but mostly he slept in the lot inside a tent. A google streetview car went by during this time, cementing his tent in the internet’s memory.

  • Several portraits in the book were initially created for use on online dating sites
    Several portraits in the book were initially created for use in online dating sites.

  • ‘After Christmas the back lot crew was on high alert to collect any discarded trees. I believe at one point we had at least 13 back there. We had to stop burning them whole when the flames started licking the dry winter branches of the empress tree 15 feet above’
    After Christmas the back lot crew was on high alert to collect any discarded trees. I believe at one point we had at least 13 back there. We had to stop burning them whole when the flames started licking the dry winter branches of the empress tree 15 feet above.

  • At the end of the book is a list of incidents and crimes that occurred in the city while the group gathered. It’s a reminder of the harshness of the urban experience and how it contrasts with the sense of community in the photographs
    At the end of the book is a list of incidents and crimes which occured in the city whilst the group gathered. The reminder of the harshness of the urban experience contrasts with the sense of community prevalent in the photographs.
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