don’t wanna go back (2020)

Don’t Wanna Go Back wrestles with longing and connection specifically in the midwest. Monuments of industry, rail roads, factories, and crumbling highways echo economies of the past and the shortcomings of the present. Don't Wanna Go Back uses railways as a symbol of mobility and connection not only in the failed American infrastructure but also in relationships. The vulnerability of plush rails signifies a futile desire to move forward. The installation illustrates a specifically American reach forward with lacking support. Maria Marotta reflects on her own family history as Italian immigrants and the pervasive mindset of each generation lifting themselves further from poverty. She meditates on her ancestors pushing her forward along the rusting infrastructure of Cincinnati while driving through the factory town of St. Bernard. The filmed drive documents the vigor that still exists in abandoned rust belt cities, and the potential that still hums in the streets, rails, sidewalks, and buildings. The title is taken from Alex G's track Gretel. "I don't wanna go back, nobody's gonna push me off track".