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Bay by the City: Photography series documents visit to an Oakland eco-village

"She appears from behind metal and wood structures. An avid yogi, runner, and cyclist, Iris cuts a dashing figure and towers over the gardens with her Nordic height," exclaims Robert Andrew Rodriguez, a San Francisco photographer.

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All images by and courtesy of Robert Andrew Rodriguez

All images by and courtesy of Robert Andrew Rodriguez

"Her strawberry-blonde hair and piercing blue eyes hold my attention almost as well as her impossibly big smile. 'Welcome to PLACE!', she says, as she rolls the main gate over and leads me into the garden labyrinth of the community courtyard."

Here lies the introduction to Bay by the City, an intriguing series by Rodriguez that documents a recent visit to an Oakland eco-village and profiling a woman named Iris, a gig economy worker who lives in a tiny home amongst the community.

"We follow a wood chip mulch footpath past several under-construction tiny homes into her quaint camper-trailer. Looking around the mermaid green interior she shows me her couches, kitchen, closet, pantry, bed, windows, and coffee table with a mason jar of fresh-cut pink flowers. We sip rich homemade hot cocoa with mushroom powder that I am assured is not psychedelic. 'I’ve lived here about a year and a half'.

"There are many residents of PLACE, so many that we see some passing by in their morning routine of dog walking and coffee drinking. Everyone has similar smiles and waves. 'This place has been fixed up as a haven for sustainable living. The neighbours are artists, musicians, students, teachers'."

Rodriguez initially forged his capture and design skills "in the kiln of commercial fashion and product production" in Dallas, TX, before working with agencies like The Richards Group, RBMM, and Publicis. Today, he also enjoys his own personal projects, more of which you can discover at robertandrewrodriguez.com.

Excerpt from Green Garden, Walking through an Oakland eco-village with Iris, from the series, Bay by the City © 2017 Robert Andrew Rodriguez, all rights reserved

Woman with strawberry-blonde hair sitting in a raised garden bed at an Oakland eco-village, holding a cup and reading a book surrounded by plants and climbing ivy
Woman with strawberry-blonde hair tending to vegetable plants in a community garden at an Oakland eco-village, with tiny homes and structures visible in the background
Woman with curly strawberry-blonde hair smiling in front of a weathered wooden structure at an Oakland eco-village
Woman with strawberry-blonde hair wearing a black leather jacket, hands raised to her head, posing indoors with a mint green wall behind her
Woman in a greenhouse tending to tomato plants, with shelving and hanging grow lights visible inside the structure
Woman with strawberry-blonde curled hair wearing a pendant necklace, looking downward in an indoor setting with blurred background
Woman crouching among potted plants and seedlings in an urban garden at PLACE eco-village in Oakland
Woman on motorcycle stopped at a STOP sign in front of residential buildings in Oakland eco-village PLACE
Woman with strawberry-blonde wavy hair and blue eyes in a mint-green room with rainbow artwork on the walls and colourful clothing hanging behind her
Woman with strawberry-blonde hair drinking homemade hot cocoa from a glass mug inside her camper-trailer at the Oakland eco-village
Woman with strawberry-blonde hair sitting in the back of a white pickup truck on an Oakland street lined with bare trees
Woman with strawberry-blonde hair standing in an overgrown garden wearing black underwear and cardigan, with bare branches and utility lines visible behind her
Woman with strawberry-blonde wavy hair and blue eyes smiling in a garden surrounded by purple flowering plants and green foliage
A woman with strawberry-blonde hair sits cross-legged inside a small camper trailer with mermaid green walls, holding a mug near a window with a circular wreath.
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