Accumulations (2013 – current), play with processes of accretion and attrition. Utilized are romantic notions of the mountain, and the accumulation of matter, as cooperative ingredients. The scenes are photographed in areas of the Mojave Desert frequented by car, truck, motorcycle, and recreational vehicle, and are made from two to four hour-long exposures with an 8x10 inch view camera. Each exposure records the accretion of moonlight, and the accumulation of light cast from the headlamps of dozens to hundreds passing automobiles, each momentarily painting particular hillsides and facades with strokes of light. The abstracted band of light in the images might be mistaken for the amber glow of the setting sun, a light leak on the film, or otherwise a conceivably supernatural cause, but are in fact a direct conversation between the land and the vehicles that navigate through it. All images are made in and around a specific thoroughfare built for the now waning metallurgical industry in the area, initially connecting both sides of the Mojave, in service of goods and materials transported to and from Los Angeles. The road now remains as a regional artery for educational, recreational, and touristic industries. This project has been interested in converging the various but concurrent histories of mid-19th century silver production and the influence that this industry has had on various photographic processes, the alteration of California’s topography and its adjacent boom and bust cycles, concurrent to the economic and geographic growth of Los Angeles, addressing how the terrain is currently being handled, navigated, and observed at night.
Accumulation 07
2015 (2013 - ongoing)
chromogenic print face mounted to Optium acrylic and walnut frame
Accumulation 01
2013 (2013 - ongoing)
chromogenic print face mounted to Optium acrylic and walnut frame
Accumulation 09
2016 (2013 - ongoing)
chromogenic print face mounted to Optium acrylic and walnut frame
Accumulation 06
2015 (2013 - ongoing)
chromogenic print face mounted to Optium acrylic and walnut frame
Accumulation 04
2014 (2013 - ongoing)
chromogenic print face mounted to Optium acrylic and walnut frame
Accumulation 08
2016 (2013 - ongoing)
chromogenic print face mounted to Optium acrylic and walnut frame