In a world that now seeks endless production of content with a new and fresh look this body of work explores the realm of landscape with the confines of the physicality of the medium of photography. How does one portray “landscape” within photography, when all has seemingly been photographed and seen?
I have spent decades following my dreams travelling the world, documenting the landscapes of the realities I pass through; only to be surpassed by in terms of the technology now creating those landscapes and thus saturating our world with the picture-perfect world we inhabit.
Faced with these challenges of all stones being turned, My work has started to create new landscapes from existing photographs from across countries, regions or continents. Technology has enabled my exploration to create new landscapes. Each piece is made of 17 individual photographs from the named realm of the region, country or continent.
The work explores the physical objects of the past, from mass produced art and popular cultural fashions; and reclaims it for the 21st Century.
What happens to these objects and items once the demand recedes and taste or fashion fades?
What journeys do they make and what stories could they tell, brandishing a new historical depth that was never the objects original intent, little bit of going back to the future.
Chipped, Faded, stained or worn the human story is seen on these objects, the lives seen and the journey had. A history of culture and history of taste and what happens to objects once they have passed out of favor.
Reframed metaphorically and in actuality with antique repurposed frames. The history also continues with the frames some over 100 years old, some with came with artwork some without.
During the global pandemic and subsequent lock downs that the world faced, my practice turned to the studio and to my computer. In a world that sought an endless production of content that was now shut off, my mind turned to revisiting the world outside through my own previous bodies of work.
As what has seemingly become a common theme prior to and during the pandemic, of What is left to photography? I turned to technology and started to reimagine place, place that I had documented during a project called Landitecture and the relationship with natural and human structures.
Being limited in movement my mind and day to day was filled with repetition and limited stimulation I turned my hand to create new worlds, new places, new scenes – it was a cathartic form of escapism for me.
The resulting images are not complex in nature but are an outcome of the sense of what I needed during this period, I needed a process, I needed to create, I needed to see something new and, in some sense, feel and be stimulated by something new that could not be achieved under such conditions.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
It has been 15 years since I landed on these fair shores of America, for initially a year or two and turned out to be 15 and counting! In that period of time, I have spent much time acclimating and exploring this ‘new ‘country - living, working, travelling and overall experiencing all I could possibly do and see to understand my new adopted homeland.
On first glance America is THE DREAM, a ray of light and hope for those looking for a better life and advancement of life for themselves and their families, a chance for success maybe fame and maybe some fortune along with it!
Whilst this notion penned by James Truslow Adams in 1931 rang true in the 20th century, one finds the America in the 21st century is facing a much different reality whether one accepts to pull back the curtains or not. This body of work is a pause and moment of reflection of the story so far in this photographer’s personal journey in America.
The work is broken down into three sections that help process the journey and the vision of this great country that has been experienced and traveled through. It felt right to use lyrics from The Star-Spangled Banner to title each section and offer a glimpse into what one see’s -
- Hailed at the twilight - is a collection of photographs that explores the American experience that is a slice popular culture, warm hearted and often traditional; a rose-tinted view or perhaps that feeling as the sunsets or a wonderful day
- Dawns early light - is a collection of photographs that explores the American experience in the harsh light of day, we have heard a lot about the lifestyle of the rich and famous, THE 1%, but how about average Joe, THE 99%, that keep this country running, how have they evolved and what has happened in their worlds since the onset of the 21st century
- Broad stripes and bright stars - is a collection of photographs that explores the American experience of what the country has become, the scars and experiences that persist and the country struggles to resolve or move on from. What does it mean to be American? And arguably more importantly what does it cost to be American?
*Note - In editing this body of work and in writing this text a new reality had hit America, January 6th 2021. I finished both on January 5th and intended to publish on the 16th, my 15-year anniversary. All of a sudden America and Americans we confronted with a sucker punch of a disenfranchised group within society that took the false statements of their elected leaders to another level. January 7th these photographs looked different to me, I saw clearly for the first time since the 2016 election, the events of January 6th were not due to the last 4 years of leadership, my belief is now they were a long time comin0. I need more time to digest but the journey inevitably continues and the story of this great nation just took a sharp turn.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
It has been 15 years since I landed on these fair shores of America, for initially a year or two and turned out to be 15 and counting! In that period of time, I have spent much time acclimating and exploring this ‘new ‘country - living, working, travelling and overall experiencing all I could possibly do and see to understand my new adopted homeland.
On first glance America is THE DREAM, a ray of light and hope for those looking for a better life and advancement of life for themselves and their families, a chance for success maybe fame and maybe some fortune along with it!
Whilst this notion penned by James Truslow Adams in 1931 rang true in the 20th century, one finds the America in the 21st century is facing a much different reality whether one accepts to pull back the curtains or not. This body of work is a pause and moment of reflection of the story so far in this photographer’s personal journey in America.
The work is broken down into three sections that help process the journey and the vision of this great country that has been experienced and traveled through. It felt right to use lyrics from The Star-Spangled Banner to title each section and offer a glimpse into what one see’s -
- Hailed at the twilight - is a collection of photographs that explores the American experience that is a slice popular culture, warm hearted and often traditional; a rose-tinted view or perhaps that feeling as the sunsets or a wonderful day
- Dawns early light - is a collection of photographs that explores the American experience in the harsh light of day, we have heard a lot about the lifestyle of the rich and famous, THE 1%, but how about average Joe, THE 99%, that keep this country running, how have they evolved and what has happened in their worlds since the onset of the 21st century
- Broad stripes and bright stars - is a collection of photographs that explores the American experience of what the country has become, the scars and experiences that persist and the country struggles to resolve or move on from. What does it mean to be American? And arguably more importantly what does it cost to be American?
*Note - In editing this body of work and in writing this text a new reality had hit America, January 6th 2021. I finished both on January 5th and intended to publish on the 16th, my 15-year anniversary. All of a sudden America and Americans we confronted with a sucker punch of a disenfranchised group within society that took the false statements of their elected leaders to another level. January 7th these photographs looked different to me, I saw clearly for the first time since the 2016 election, the events of January 6th were not due to the last 4 years of leadership, my belief is now they were a long time coming. I need more time to digest but the journey inevitably continues and the story of this great nation just took a sharp turn.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
It has been 15 years since I landed on these fair shores of America, for initially a year or two and turned out to be 15 and counting! In that period of time, I have spent much time acclimating and exploring this ‘new ‘country - living, working, travelling and overall experiencing all I could possibly do and see to understand my new adopted homeland.
On first glance America is THE DREAM, a ray of light and hope for those looking for a better life and advancement of life for themselves and their families, a chance for success maybe fame and maybe some fortune along with it!
Whilst this notion penned by James Truslow Adams in 1931 rang true in the 20th century, one finds the America in the 21st century is facing a much different reality whether one accepts to pull back the curtains or not. This body of work is a pause and moment of reflection of the story so far in this photographer’s personal journey in America.
The work is broken down into three sections that help process the journey and the vision of this great country that has been experienced and traveled through. It felt right to use lyrics from The Star-Spangled Banner to title each section and offer a glimpse into what one see’s -
- Hailed at the twilight - is a collection of photographs that explores the American experience that is a slice popular culture, warm hearted and often traditional; a rose-tinted view or perhaps that feeling as the sunsets or a wonderful day
- Dawns early light - is a collection of photographs that explores the American experience in the harsh light of day, we have heard a lot about the lifestyle of the rich and famous, THE 1%, but how about average Joe, THE 99%, that keep this country running, how have they evolved and what has happened in their worlds since the onset of the 21st century
- Broad stripes and bright stars - is a collection of photographs that explores the American experience of what the country has become, the scars and experiences that persist and the country struggles to resolve or move on from. What does it mean to be American? And arguably more importantly what does it cost to be American?
*Note - In editing this body of work and in writing this text a new reality had hit America, January 6th 2021. I finished editing and writing a few days earlier and intended to publish on the 16th, my 15-year anniversary. All of a sudden America and Americans we confronted with a sucker punch of a disenfranchised group within society that took the false statements of their elected leaders to another level. January 7th these photographs looked different to me, I saw clearly for the first time since the 2016 election, the events of January 6th were not due to the last 4 years of leadership, my belief is now they were a long time coming. I need more time to digest but the journey inevitably continues and the story of this great nation just took a sharp turn.
