ABOUT

In the Vale of Cashmere marks the culmination of acclaimed photographer Thomas Roma's four-year odyssey into a densely wooded, secluded corner of Brooklyn's Prospect Park, where gay cruising dominates the footpaths and trails. The Vale of Cashmere, a name that dates back to the 1890s, has long been a meeting place for gay men, and mostly Black men. However, encounters occur between men of all walks of life, as well as gender and sexual identities. With his large, tripod-mounted, hand-made camera, Roma stepped into the center of this community, an obvious but mostly ignored presence. Understandably, many of the men Roma approached to photograph in a formal portrait were not interested, but surprisingly, many were.