The images in Observatories + North America, Full Moon, Walking, Counter-Earth, and upstate, are at once independent portfolios and also function together as a visual synthesis of macro and micro, public and private, narratives and spaces within the Observable Universe, Near and Far project.
The 2019 HARIBAN AWARD selects the "The Observable Universe, Near and Far" to receive the award of Honourable Mention
"The Observable Universe, Near and Far" interview -LENSCRATCH
Presented in a completely darkened room, these dioramas combine multiple black and white analog darkroom processes with three-dimensional hand-built environments constructed of wood, mirrors, paper, paint, polymer, and various light sources. The environments are influenced by work from the ongoing two-dimensional photographic project “The Observable Universe, Near and Far, " and allow the viewer to simultaneously consider light and the absence of light as archeological artifact.
“Blasting Area,” refers to the literal warning signposts designating the boundary between a quarry and my family's neighborhood in upstate New York. As a child, I was unable to see the rock exploding at the quarry each time the earth shook from the blasts. I’d imagined the excavation process as resembling repeated big bangs forming landscapes, territory, and portals in the darkness of outer space. To translate the physiological impression I carry with me from growing up with the repeated sounds and sensations of the timed blasts, I’ve constructed my and neighbors homes, photographed the sculptures with a large format view camera, and printed the negative of the home into an environment untethered to familiar topography signifying the forceful removal of earth.
