Closer Further Discussion

Meanwhile What’s so Close, it permeates our daily experience... but, dispersed in vastness, it’s commonly left unseen. But from aFar, it becomes more coherent to our eyes. At 35,000 feet, air becomes atmosphere, and landscape becomes a poetry of elegant, ancient ideas, incomprehensible from the ground. Given a new form, it's brought into the nearness of our attention--only now as a concise something that we can relate to directly. But this form inverts the familiar with the unfamiliar, bringing forward what’s often dismissed as background noise, and making it into visual music. From a distance this larger vision engages the senses and emotions, and intrigues—but does not satisfy—the mind. The details we usually seek first, are instead subverted, the map divorced from its territory. Instead of providing an image that's highly-resolved everywhere, selective details are finely rendered, retraced by hand, and visible only upon a closer look. Up close, the vast poetry seen initially has broken apart. As a viewer moves Away again and then back in, complex, layered systems emerge and dissolve from his perception, a palimpsest of human activity appearing in a much larger context of geology and time. Its mysteries preserved, its poetry unexplained by excessive information, our innate familiarity with what’s all around us still provides us with footing as we are restricted and seduced into exploring the piece. It unfolds as we open. ~~~~~~~ Further Discussion: Earlier generations lived closer to nature. Now, we operate—and think—more within human-created systems. Paradoxically, it’s through distance that I’m trying to restore affection to this relationship. I want people to fall in love with the Earth, not just think about it. Many photographers speak of raising awareness, but I want to restore a deeper connection. If we are to make different choices with respect to Earth, our emotions must be engaged, in tandem with intellect. There’s an old saying, that the mind is an excellent servant but a terrible master. This project aims to speak to the mind within the larger, encompassing context of the heart. The physical form of the print is an essentially important aspect of this project; it determines how the content of an image is revealed. Think of the performance of a musical score, or a chef who prepares a dish so its flavors and textures unfold in a particular way—it’s not just a question of hitting all the right notes, or combining ingredients in the right amount. I’m interested in creating an experience that serves a higher purpose. Go to:

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