Fissures of dried paint, weathered textures and dismal grays compose the minutiae of an afternoon walk around the block. On assignment to make a photographic series that references “art history,” I searched Albuquerque’s streets for urban details to frame as an urbane work of art. Because of the continuous effort to redefine the city as chic, trendy, and stylish, Albuquerque, ironically, has lost all capacity of self-articulation.
The superimposition of words and maps on the photographs satirize this constant need to re-define the city for the purposes of commercialism. Paradoxically, the layering of the images serves to make them unreadable and superficial. On the other hand, the book, collection display boxes, and the textures of the photographs ground my knowledge of the city into a more visceral experience.
Working with hammers, nails, wood, and books brought photography out of the computer screen and back into the phenomenal world. This series of photo-sculptures evinces my obsession with physical materials. The curved surface of the opened book was an aesthetic I wanted to use as a framing device. The project quickly became a statement about exhibition. The collection boxes represented a taxidermist’s mapping of collected specimens, the books as a frame for history, and the computer screen as a window into digital photography.
