I’ve been working on a photographic series called Canals for some time now, and I’ve decided it’s finally time to begin sharing some of the images.
This project is considerably more personal than much of my previous work, though that may not be immediately apparent from the photographs themselves.
Over the past several years, I’ve spent a great deal of time thinking about the relationship we have with our bodies, particularly when they begin behaving in ways we don’t understand or can’t control. I’ve also become increasingly interested in the ways other people perceive our experiences, and how difficult it can be to communicate something that isn’t readily visible.
There’s a strange contradiction in wanting someone to look more closely at something while simultaneously feeling uncomfortable under their scrutiny. We want to be understood, but being examined can leave us feeling vulnerable. We want others to recognize what we’re experiencing, but we don’t necessarily want to surrender control over how our experiences are interpreted.
Much of Canals grew out of my attempts to reconcile these conflicting feelings.
I’ve been experimenting with scale, texture, lighting, and perspective, creating images that occupy an uncertain space between the familiar and the unfamiliar. I’m particularly interested in that brief moment when we encounter something visually ambiguous and our minds begin searching for an explanation.
What do we think we’re seeing? What associations do we bring to an image? And how might those interpretations change once we know more about its origins?
There’s also an element of curiosity running through this work. The desire to examine, to investigate, to understand. Curiosity isn’t inherently intrusive, of course, but the experience can be quite different depending on which side of that curiosity we find ourselves.
I haven’t decided how much of the process or underlying subject matter I want to reveal just yet. There are aspects of the series I’d prefer viewers to encounter without an explanation, at least initially.
For now, I’m interested in sharing the photographs and seeing what conversations develop around them.
These are some of my first images from Canals. The series is still evolving, and I suspect my understanding of it will continue to change as I work.
I will share behind the scenes info and my full artist statement in time. Stay tuned.
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