Photo Stories: Juried Exhibition

Edgartown, MA

Located in the town of Chilmark on Martha’s Vineyard is a small fishing village called Menemsha. It is homeport to local fisherman, some of whom are from families that have fished there for generations. During the summer months, Menemsha is intensely busy. Residents and tourists come to walk the boardwalks, get freshly cooked seafood and watch the fishing boats come in and out. At the end of the day, weather permitting; come the most dramatic sunsets.
Once the summer residents return to their winter homes and day tripping tourists cease to visit, the spirit of this historic fishing village reappears. When I am there in the dark hours, I feel like I have the whole place to myself. I never know which lights will be shining or what they will illuminate. It’s a joy full surprise when there is magic in the air and if the fog is in, well, that is a total bonus. I feel like I’ve come to a different place and I soon get lost to the moment as I wander in search of that spot where the light is in perfect balance with land, sea and sky. My exposure and post processing decisions help me to create these images that I consider a view to an altered reality, a glimpse into a vision you can otherwise not experience. 

Los Angeles, CA

This series depicts and memorializes the fleeting and often temporary shopfronts and display windows of Psychic Palm Readers and Fortune Tellers in the greater Los Angels area. In the dark night glow after the sun goes down these shops vibrate with life. Their brightly lit storefronts share a language in common, attracting like moths those hopefuls looking for magical answers to impossible questions. These storefront designs have become an outsider form of art with its own unique vocabulary.

When my daughter was born fourteen years ago, I was told that she had the “physical markers” for Down syndrome. A few days later, the diagnosis of trisomy 21 was confirmed with a simple blood test. Today Luigia is a thriving and lively teenager, yet these “markers” have grown with her, and her disability remains visible to the outside world. As we try to go about our ordinary lives in our community–getting ice cream after school, going grocery shopping or walking to the local library–I often catch people staring, gawking, or side-glancing at her, at us. Even though their gaze feels invasive, I perceive it as more questioning than judging, at least most of the time. With this on-going series “regard,” I am answering their question with a window into our reality. To emphasize control over my message, these everyday tableaux are meticulously set, lit up, and purposefully developed in black and white. Their composition expresses routine acts in which I address the viewers directly: look at us bathing; look at us grooming; here we are at bedtime; this is us on a random day at the beach. In each scene, the viewers are plunged into the outside perspective. At first glance, it may seem that I am offering us as vulnerable prey to their judgement, yet in fact I am guarding our lives, and the viewers are caught gawking–my direct gaze at the camera. Through the direct, return gaze, I am the one in control as I establish a relationship with the viewers, and their motive is questioned. In “regard” I strive to claim the normalcy of Luigia’s life, one image at a time.

Going to Mars refers to a National Geographic story I read to my father night after night; it is also a personal metaphor for this time we spent together.

As I looked after my father, I saw how his mind had changed, like a map being gradually erased. I wanted to know how he navigates the new world around him — and the alien world inside his head. With my camera, I imagined what it was like to forget, to be confused, to be blank, and yet utterly in the present moment. I also imagined and hoped that this new world contained fragments of wonder and beauty.

Purcellville, VA

Irish Travelers are a proud and reclusive people, maintaining a culture and traditions whose origins are lost in time. In the fall of 2017 and 2018, I had the opportunity to be among them under the supervision of a fellow photographer who provided access to their world and allowed me to photograph their lives.

This series of images reflects my personal interactions with the Travelers I was fortunate to connect with at the Ballinasloe Horse Fair, various halting sites, and illegal encampments throughout County Galway and Limerick.

Little Rock, AR

Atlanta, GA

Milwaukee, WI

The land of Hawaii is vast, luxurious, and idyllic but past the wanderlust images the land is very controversial. The growing population and tourism continues to threaten the space and its ability to accommodate all the occupants. From the research telescopes on the mountain of Maunakea on the Big Island, to the crumbling rail project on Oahu believed to fix the traffic problem, these infrastructures have augmented the land. The industrial growth happening in Hawaii goes beyond simply manipulating the landscape; it destroys the historical records and spiritual places that have existed there for millions of years.

Through these photographs the attention focuses on the spaces that these infrastructures impede on the natural environment, instead of colors of the idyllic Hawaii. Using silver gelatin prints which consist of selected, man made spaces that have attempted to be removed create a burnt and sometimes empty area. The use of a laser cutter to cut the structure from the landscape leaves scar upon the image. The removed spaces aid in seeing what Hawaii would be like without these impositions. These areas that have been removed from the images are not being replaced with anything, therefore communicates the natural impingement this structure has on the environment even if it were to be removed. However, in the process of trying to remove these objects has weakened the paper and metaphorically weakened the landscape it is trying to depict. The areas that have not been completely removed leaves a faint and thin layer of paper residue. The structures still exist and can never be completely erased. However, it draws attention to what is becoming the built environment in Hawaii.

These invasive infrastructures have impinged on the natural environment. Although these images discuss visually the reality of Hawaii, it brings to light that this is not a one state problem. Much like the invasive species that we eradicate from our gardens and fields, so to should we approach these human invasions onto the landscape. No longer should humanity build for the sake of building; but should instead question the social and political concerns that exist in the natural world.

Chicago, IL

In Natural Order I explore the relationship between family dynamics, natural forces, and entropy. I construct images that build a connection between an inherited family archive and the contemporary photograph as object in order to better understand the processes of love and loss and to call attention to the problematic nature of photography as a means of documenting both time and memory.

I see the delicate nature of attachment within and across generations of family as tested not only through the irrevocable reality of death, but also through the inevitable experience of growing apart. The resulting tension I feel around balancing the different roles of daughter, wife, and mother guides my understanding of both togetherness and separation within the everyday intimacies of familial life. I use objects which assume fragments of memory along with rephotographed works that together highlight gestures indicative of the changing nature of connection. In this way, I build a collection of contemporary imagery rather than traditional family portraits. Treating old and new images as artifacts I create a family album unbound, suggesting that the dynamics of relationships are subject to the laws and forces of nature, forming and eroding over time and under circumstance.

Lizzy Wallen: Natural Order