Alongside my thesis research, I’ve also been driving down to Fayetteville to look at military and civilian life in a town dominated by a nearby army base. In towns like this, it is hard to see the civilian and military as mutually exclusive. And since my time there, I’ve come to realize that such is the case in most American towns and cities.

After several conversations with people curious about my thesis project, I thought I’d share a lil glimpse into the moving image segment. Last summer, I spent two months working in a 16mm film archive in Albuquerque NM. The internship was largely focused on organizing the films and over-seeing their deterioration. While I was there, I also began to look at films that represented New Mexico, and more specifically that tell the history of tourism and its production of “local culture.” My project will be to fictionalize this process and in doing so, explore family history, nation building, and archival memory.

It’s about time I amp up what people are calling “web-presence.” What a funny idea. I always understood the web to be a stand-in for what is not immediately present. Photography is no different I suppose, but I would never say “It’s about time I amp up my photo presence.” Then again, there are such things as photo booths, photo albums, and family portraits. I guess it’s just weird to think I need to make my moving and still pictures “web-present.” Always hesitant that my work will contribute to the general fading of the attention span, I’ve always preferred to show work amongst colleagues, friends, and family. I must admit though, it is getting harder and harder to find that public outside of www. On that note, please enjoy my cine-verses within the quickly expanding meta-verse. Until next time ~

All my best,

Peter