I’m thrilled to share that my new series, Burn Line, will have its first public showing next weekend as part of the Ephemeral Earth exhibition at the Alameda Photo Festival.
I have been slowing planning this project for months. I will have 2 small images in this big group show and will continue to work on this series this year.
Burn Line explores the fragile boundary between destruction and renewal in the context of California’s wildfires and climate change. I wanted to go beyond the media images of the fire and find a way to focus on the emotional impact of the destruction. I am developing a unique process I call “Pyrotype”: a photographic process that engraves images into wood using a CNC router, then transforms the wood into charcoal using pyrolysis by heating the wood in a low-oxygen environment. It’s a process that mirrors the cycle of loss and transformation at the heart of this project. The final product is a black-on-black distressed object that requires slowing down to take it in.
One piece in the series, Lost Shoes, began with a photograph of destroyed footwear from the Eaton Fire (the Alta Dena fires in Los Angeles, January 2025). The original image was taken by Emi Takahara, who lost her home in the fire. Working with Emi has been incredibly meaningful — her image of her own shoes, mundane objects turned into fragile artifacts, became the foundation for the series about personal loss and resilience.
What remains in this object is not just what survived the fire, but what was remade through it — a meditation on memory, destruction, and the possibility of renewal.
I’m honored that Burn Line will premiere as part of Ephemeral Earth, an exhibition bringing together artists reflecting on our relationship to the environment, impermanence, and change — a perfect context for this work.
About the photo festival
This is a big event but the main parts I will be there for is May 10 and May 31 (2-5).
Bay Area Photographers Collective will present Ephemeral Earth at the In Plain Site Photography Festival in Alameda, CA.
May 9 – June 1, 2025
Curated by Anastasia Shubina
This exhibition by BAPC members reflects on the ecological realities of our time—and the futures that might follow. Drawing from documentary, fine art, and conceptual photography, the artists present personal perspectives on the complex and often contradictory relationship between humans and the natural world.
Participating artists: Maria Budner, Allyson Ely, Timofey Glinin, Anastasia Shubina, Shelley Hodes, Anastasiia Nelen, Eric Blum, Neo Serafimidis, Chis Stevens-Yu, Cindy Stokes, Ari Salomon, Alison Taggart-Barone, Nick Winkworth
Exhibition Hours:
May 9: 5–7:30pm
May 10: 12–4:30pm
Thu May 15: 5–7pm
Sun May 18: 12–5pm
Tue May 20: 5:30–7pm
Sat May 31: 2–5pm (I’ll be there)
Sat May 31: 6:30–9pm (Closing Party, ticketed)
Location: Radium Runway
2151 Ferry Point, Alameda, CA 94501 (map)
Admission is free on all days (except for the Closing Party). Register here free (optional).
Closing Party tickets.
Links
- Full festival page with all events, workshops and outdoor exhibitions via Rising Tides
- West End Arts Center: In Plain Site
- Radium events listing
Directions
Free parking is available at the Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal lot. Limited ADA parking is available at 2151 Ferry Point. Radium Runway is located one block from the W. Atlantic & Orion stop of the AC Transit 96 bus line. Check the San Francisco Bay Ferry for schedules. Coming by ferry on the weekend? Take the free Island Hopper shuttle. We are located one block from the Almanac stop.
About In Plain Site
In Plain Site is not just a festival—it’s a visual journey into our future. This free, three-week outdoor exhibition held this spring transforms the Alameda Point shoreline into an open-air gallery, showcasing stunning collections from both international and local photographers. Through powerful imagery, the event illuminates the pathways to a more climate-positive world.
The festival kicks off with a dynamic opening celebration featuring artist talks, hands-on workshops, guided photo walks, interactive crafts, and activities for all ages. In Plain Site is a call to action—an invitation to explore the urgent realities of sea-level rise and climate change through the lens of photography.
Organized by Radium Presents and West End Arts District, in partnership with Photoville, this unique and impactful celebration transforms public space into a platform for inspiration, education, and change.
