A multitude of lines exist in the world that divide us from one another, some are visible, and others are more conceptual. Regardless of their physical or ethereal form, these demarcations also impact the opportunities that are afforded to those that inhabit the space on either side of the line, they determine how the land and resources are managed, but perhaps most notably – these lines help us define who we are.
The images that comprise The Same Dirt question these lines, and their importance, and explore their perceived permanence. By deconstructing these lines, my work opens up the spaces that these lines once enclosed and returns the whole of the land to a singular place. Further, the images deconstruct the idea of place into some of its most basic components. While the place can be defined in its simplest terms by the addition of narrative to space, borders become integral to the equation by separating the territories on which these narratives play out.
In much the same way that the images of The Same Dirt deconstruct these lines, the image objects also utilize a pared-down approach to the creation of a photographic image. Through the combination of digital capture and of Lumen Printing, a technique that capitalizes on the light-sensitive nature of gelatin silver paper and ultraviolet light, these images remain sensitive to light and various other environmental factors – much like the landscape that they represent. As such, the depicted border lines that are etched from a layer of soil placed on the surface of the light-sensitive paper, are ephemeral. To create a snapshot of their existence, a visible manifestation of their invisible nature, the originals are digitally scanned to create these printed representations of a singular point in their transitory existence.
