Girls weep at the wake of a shooting victim in Ciudad Juárez in June 10, 2010. There were over 3,000 murders on 2010 in Ciudad Juárez, which is considered one of the most dangerous cities in the world.
A funeral procession proceeds to a nearby cemetery for the burial of a shooting victim in Ciudad Juarez in June 10, 2010. There were over 3,000 murders on 2010 in Ciudad Juárez, which is considered one of the most dangerous cities in the world.
A prostitute sits in her room in a motel in the red light district of Ciudad Jurez on July 18, 2010. Prostitution, like most activities in Juarez, is controlled by the drug cartels.
A federal police car is in flames after a car bomb exploded that killed two police officers and one civilian and injuring many bystanders in Ciudad Juarez on Thursday July 15, 2010. The Juarez cartel took responsibility for the attack and they warned that more car bombs will be used unless federal police stop siding with the rival Sinaloa cartel, an allegation the group has repeatedly made and the government denies. This was the first car bomb in Mexico's bloody drug war and many fear that this is a sign of things to come. Ciudad Juarez is one of the most violent cities in the world with over 3,000 drug related murders in 2010.
Family members mourn at the funeral of two women who were killed by cartel gunmen in a massacre in Ciudad Juarez, at a remote cemetery in the Valle de Juarez, on October 30, 2010. A cartel turf war was responsible for over 3,000 murders in 2010 in Ciudad Juárez, which is considered one of the most dangerous cities in the world.
A woman hangs up a mask for sell at a Lucha Libre wrestling match in a poor barrio in Ciudad Juarez on July 17, 2010. Lucha Libre is a popular sport in Mexico pitting heroes versus villains in fights that are choreographed to please the crowd. The sport offers a welcome respite for many residents from the daily murders in the city.
A young boy sells cotton candy at a cemetery in Ciudad Juárez on November 1, 2010.
A Lucha Libre wrestler waits for his match in a dressing room in poor barrio in Ciudad Juárez on July 17, 2010. Lucha Libre is a popular sport in Mexico pitting heroes versus villains in fights that are choreographed to please the crowd. The sport offers a welcome respite for many residents from the daily murders in the city. Ciudad Juárez is one of the most violent cities in the world with over 3,000 drug related murders in 2010.
Dusk falls over a poor barrio in Ciudad Juárez on July 18, 2010.
Michael P. Smith Fund For Documentary Photography 2011 Grantee Scott DaltonSo Close, So Far: Daily Life and Cartel Violence in Ciudad Juárez
Project Summary: So Close, So Far: Daily Life and Cartel Violence in Ciudad Juárez is a documentary photo project that explores daily life in the border city of Ciudad Juárez, a city in the midst of a vicious cartel drug war. Averaging over 3,000 murders a year, Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, has become one of the most dangerous cities on earth. Combining environmental portraits and documentary reportage, I hope to document this tragic and historic time in the life of this city, when cartel violence forges an uncertain new reality.
Juror's Statement
Scott Dalton's images reveal the hard edges of conflict while also illuminating the eloquent textures of ordinary life. Dalton's images suggest the sense of loss that relentless violence so firmly delivers.
And his series raises unnerving questions about the uncertain and precarious future. He does all this without sensationalism or stereotypes--his is a fresh, original, and probing engagement with individuals and the social landscape rendered with a transformative radiance. In the end, Dalton's work suggests how tenuous the relationship is between place and life, between the culture of the border environment and individual survival. I find as much hope here as despair. The Michael P. Smith grant should provide the necessary catalyst and support for furthering this project and bringing the painful beauty and relevance of the work to a broader public.
Tom Rankin
Director, Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University
Congratulations to all of the Finalists in the 2011 Michael P. Smith Fund For Documentary Photography
2011 Grantee Scott Dalton
So Close, So Far: Daily Life and Cartel Violence in Ciudad Juárez