Inside, Outdoors
Oberlin, OH
Sept 2005- March 2006
After awhile, abandoned places begin to take on a life of their own. Man-made structures and natural forms begin to merge- the wood made to build a house becomes dark, weather-beaten, overgrown with moss, and returns slowly to its original form; a structure made a sandstone will dissolve eventually back into sand. Human objects lose their purpose in such an environment dictated by time, weather, and neglect, but take on a new useless beauty. This quality is especially potent to me at sites where the division between interior and exterior landscapes has become blurred; I have found myself repeatedly taking pictures of doors and windows for such a reason.
Doors and windows are appealing to me both for their formal, geometric beauty as well as the mystery that they possess. Doors and windows of abandoned places are often either boarded shut or wide open. If locked, I continually wonder what hidden treasures lay beyond my reach. When I find a place with unlocked doors and take the first step inside, it is like discovering a secret passageway, despite the fact that anyone could enter if they wanted to. Unlike walls, which simply protect and separate us from the outside world, doors and windows frame our view in such a way that clearly marks the division between inside and outside worlds while simultaneously providing the bridge between them. In these photographs I hope to explore this connection and what happens when the separations we build between the natural and man-made world dissolve and change into something new.
Sept 2005- March 2006
After awhile, abandoned places begin to take on a life of their own. Man-made structures and natural forms begin to merge- the wood made to build a house becomes dark, weather-beaten, overgrown with moss, and returns slowly to its original form; a structure made a sandstone will dissolve eventually back into sand. Human objects lose their purpose in such an environment dictated by time, weather, and neglect, but take on a new useless beauty. This quality is especially potent to me at sites where the division between interior and exterior landscapes has become blurred; I have found myself repeatedly taking pictures of doors and windows for such a reason.
Doors and windows are appealing to me both for their formal, geometric beauty as well as the mystery that they possess. Doors and windows of abandoned places are often either boarded shut or wide open. If locked, I continually wonder what hidden treasures lay beyond my reach. When I find a place with unlocked doors and take the first step inside, it is like discovering a secret passageway, despite the fact that anyone could enter if they wanted to. Unlike walls, which simply protect and separate us from the outside world, doors and windows frame our view in such a way that clearly marks the division between inside and outside worlds while simultaneously providing the bridge between them. In these photographs I hope to explore this connection and what happens when the separations we build between the natural and man-made world dissolve and change into something new.
