There are too many places in the world. What makes one location distinct from any other? How do we know where we’ve been and where we’re going? Photography has traditionally been used as a way to answer these questions. “I was there because I have this photograph.” Or, “I’ve never been there, but it sure looks different from here.”
My work focuses on the assumptions behind everyday statements such as these. I strive to capture place as a living process. I am interested in the way photographs abstract space and time; how they can capture cycles of construction and deconstruction, and evidence of people living or just passing through. Together, the images present questions about cultural authenticity and what makes one location unique from any other.
This series focuses on urban industrial architecture. The pictures are composed of individual photographs, shot in sequence, and then stitched together on a computer. Some are 360 degrees and some are less. Some present a vertical view that includes ground and sky together.
I love the poetic relationship presented by making art about the grand qualities of mundane buildings — especially in a large-scale, panoramic format. Layers of history are brought to life in this wide angle of view as the eye compares the relationship of buildings and the spaces between them. The viewer discovers unexpected juxtapositions and whimsical details.
EXPLORE some of these images in a zoomable, interactive format at gigapan.org
