Altered

Rochester Institute of Technology

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Theses

Thesis/Dissertation Collections

11-1-1999

Altered

Pamela Bentzien

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Recommended Citation

ALTERED

A Master of Fine Arts Thesis

Submitted November 1999

in fulfillment of an MFA degree in Imaging Arts

School of photographic Arts and Sciences

Rochester Institute of Technology

Angela Kelly, Thesis Chair

Associate Professor, Coordinator of Graduate Photography

Date~

Elliott Rubenstein, Thesis Board

Full Professor

Judy

Levy,

Thesis Board

Associate Professor

Date

u!n-bJ-I, Pamela Bentzien, hereby deny permission to the Wallace Library of

the Rochester Institute of Technology to reproduce my thesis in whole

or part.

ALTERED

'Tell

me

the

landscape in

which you

live,

and

I

will

tell

you who you are.

"

Jose OrtegayGassett

"Nature

can

take

care of

the

needs of

people,

but

not

the

greed."

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

There

are

many

peoplewhom

I

would

like

toacknowledge

and_{thank: my}

friends

whogave

love

at atimewhen

I felt

very alone; my

family

whogaveme a placetoescape

to;

_mynew

friends

and

fellow

grad studentswho showed me thatage

is

not

a

barrier

to

friendship;

and_{the many}

faculty

and staff

in

the

School

of

Photographic

Arts

and

Science

who not_only

helped

with thework

I

had

to

do,

but

went onto offer me

friendship.

My

acknowledgment_{to my thesis}

board

cannot

begin

to express

myappreciationto them:

Elliott

Rubenstein,

who engaged me

in

_{many theoretical}

discussions

thatallowed me toexplore and

examinethe

direction

of_my

thoughts;

Judy

Levy,

who

felt

com

fortable

enoughto question _my

images

and offeredthe strongest

critique of_{my work;} and_especially

Angela

Kelly,

whothrough

out_{my tenure}at

RIT

offeredme_{resources, editing suggestions,}

critique, moretime than anyone should_{expect, and,} most of_all,

friendship.

I

wouldalso

like

toacknowledge

Douglas Ford Rea

who was _my

reason

for

_{coming to}

RIT

and

did

not

disappoint

me.

My

strongest acknowledgement

is

the

last:

Deborah Jo Vogt. If

she

had

never entered _my

life,

I

never would

have

pursuedthis

dream.

Thankyou

Deb,

andthanks toall _my

friends

and

family.

INTRODUCTION

"Landscape

usedto

be

background,

seen out awindow or

from

the

door,

thepale

hills

suggested

distance,

aplace

beyond.

Only

in

recent

decades has

the

land

re-emerged asprimesubject

matter

thrust

to the

front.

Artists

of ourtimeusethesurface ofthe_planet,

its

curves and

hollows,

to

hold fears

and

dreams.

"

Revisiting

Landscape,

California Center fortheArtsMuseum

Abumperstickerthathasalwaysbotheredme reads "wearespending

our children's inheritance."Whatbothersme aboutit is notthe indi

vidual selfishness of someone's _parents, but_{the underlying reality}of sucha statement.In Native Americanculture,the Great Lawofthe

Iroquois

Confederacy

tobeprecise, there isa_{philosophy that}is

referredtoasthe 'seventhgeneration.'

Thelawreads, "inour_every

deliberation,

we must considertheimpactof ourdecisionsonthenext

seven

generations."

The meaningbehind it isto looksevengenera

tionsintothefuturetosee theramifications of an action on allthose

generations. Inasociety thatscreamsfor

family

values,what are we

leaving

eventhe nextgeneration?We consumelikethere isno

future.

We disconnectourselvesfromthe source of are_consumption, as well

asthe landfills inwhichour consumption ends up.

Topropose a questionformy

thesis,

itwouldbe: inthe directionwe

are

headed,

what willthelandscape oftheseventhgenerationlook like? Whatare we

leaving

behind? Another question mightbe:where didthe product of our consumption comefromand where will itend

up? Iwouldlike tocreate imagesthatwouldnotplacethe

blame

else

"Youmayfeela profoundlink

withthelandwhile_walking througha magnificent

National

Park,

or

biking

_along a_particularly

lovely

stretchof

theBarge Canal. Youmay be repulsed

by

an over-developed

commercial strip. Inallthree cases,youare_{reacting to}a

basicrelationship:theconnec tionofhumanbeingsto the

land."

RonNetsky1

individual life

styleaffectsthe environment.Whatsort of place are we

creating forthenextgeneration? The UnitedStatesmaintains

five

per

centoftheworld_population,yet uses

forty-five

percent oftheworld's

natural resources.The rest oftheworld is_{aspiring to}emulate our

lifestyle.

Ifall ofChinaandIndia (withfargreater populations) lived the'American Dream,'

whatimpactwouldthathaveonour world?

Withinthese questionsare _{manyquestions,}butmyinterest lies in

creatinga

landscape

thatpredicts afutureand causes one toreflect upon alifestyleandits impactontheenvironment.

THE BLANK SLATE

Henri Cartier-Bresson inthe 1950s_exclaimed,

"Now,

inthis _moment, this crisis,withtheworld maybe_goingto pieces tophotograph a

landscape!"2_But

today

landscape has beenrecast as a subject of potent necessity. Inthe fallof1997 in

Rochester,

New York Landscape/ Land

Use,

a project

involving

nine major art exhibitions anddozensoflec tures,workshops,screenings, residencies,andtown meetings was underway.Organized

by

Nathan

Lyons,

directorofVisual Studies

Workshop,

the intentwas toreexamine our use and abuse ofthe

land.

The landscapewedealwith

today

isadifferentperceptionthan that to

whichHenri Cartier-Bressonreferred. Themajestic

landscapes

of AnselAdamsare under attack.

Today

alandscape isexpectedtoques tionand exam ourrelationshipwiththeland.

Ina video series aboutAmericaandAmericanwayof_{seeing, Robert}

Hughesstates "The

first

colonist in Americainthe 17th_centurysaw

whatsuch a place mightmeanhas left indelibletracesonthe

identity

ofmodernAmerica.

The

problem wasthatAmericawas not a'no mans land'."3

It isthisenvironmentthatwe created onthis so-calledemptyslate that

interests

me.

Having

been bornandraised inthenorthwestern

portion oftheUnited

States,

I have been drawnto theideasofdevel opment. Iwitnessedthe transformationof_mybirthplace froma quiet littletown intoamegavacation spot. Thetown inwhichIgrewup

wentthroughan evengreatertransformation. A townof16,000when Istarted

kindergarten,

Bellevue, Washington,

hadgrown to60,000

by

the timeIhadgraduatedfrom highschool in 1969towell over 200,000 today.Thisgrowth representsdestructionof one environment

tobe displaced

by

anew environment.Whatfascinates me ishow dra

maticallywehave alteredthe environment andinsuch a short period oftime.

Thearea of_{the country}inwhich I_{grew up}was a wilderness

by

west

ern standards whenthe constitution wassigned.The greatmigration westward didnotbeginuntilthe 1840'sand _{really took}off afterthe Civil War.Asa child (andstillas an_adult), Iwas always

fascinated

by

howrecentthe

history

of_everythingwas. Seattleas a_citywas_only founded in the

1850's,

onehundredyearsbefore Iwas born.

Seattle's andAmerica's development hasoccurred over anincredi

Iamnot

interested

intherightor_wrongofthese changes,butrather

theneedinthe

human

psyche_{to constantly}

be

movingandchanging

ourenvironment.

Geographer

and landscapewriterJ.B. Jackson has observedthat

landscapes

are_{symbolic, expressing}"apersistentdesire tomaketheearth overinthe image of someheaven."4Alexander Wilson hassuggestedthatlandscape is akindof

'activity'

"awayof

seeing theworld and

imagining

our_{relationship to}it."5Anative Americanwoman whoisa sculptor states that"heritagetome isa

sense ofplace."6

Americansare atransientpeople. Welackthatsense

of place.Weare all (excepttheNative

Americans)

newcomers. Perhaps thatis_whyit is so_easyforustobuildand abandon.

PLACE

In

looking

atimagesofthe

land,

there isthe

landscape,

what welook

out_{at, that}which we observe.Andthen therearethe imagesof_place, thoseenvironmentsthatare experienced. Thereare placesthathave becomea pictographic_worship site:TheGrand

Canyon, Yellowstone,

Niagara Falls. "Burnishedtoaluster

by

_{the caressing}eyes ofthou

sands of artists andphotographers, these places have becomemuch more thantheirphysicalpresence."7

They

have become 'ideas.' The

ideaofthe 'picturesque'was popularin Europe inthe 18thand 19th

centuries.The British Picturesquemovement,which peaked inthe

1790's,

encompassedaphilosophygoverningthe rulesforthepresen tationof nature as well asforthe veryact of_experiencing it.

Picturesque theoristsdefinedthe notion of what makes a particular

'The

Grand

TouroftheContinent,'with afocuson

Italy,

was a popu larextension ofpicturesquetravelfortheBritisharistocracyinthe

early 19thcentury.The

Picturesque

movementdidnot continue

long

intothe19thcentury, butthe philosophyofthemovementas well as the activityofthe

Grand

Tour

thoroughly

documented innumerous guidebooksoftheperiod would continuefor_manyyears to come. The Grand Tourwasassociatedwiththeeliteclass, as well as connois seurs of_{art, poetry,}and philosophy.

The Picturesquetourist traveled throughout

Britain,

and in lateryears theItalian_countryside,equipped with_{his guidebook,} sketchpad,

diary,

and often a_viewingdevice knownas theClaude Glass a simple opti cal devicewhose convex mirror allowed userstoframeand momen

tarily

fixtheundisciplinedlandscape before them.

Many

oftheestates wherethesescenes were situated erected permanentviewingstations fromwhich the'perfect'

views couldbesavoredthroughwindows.

Viewing

a particular scene throughaframedwindow was a mediated

experience whichbroughttheact ofviewing the landscapeto thelevel of_theater, andmanyofthewritings fromthe period also usedtermi nologyfromthe theatertodescribethePicturesquescene.Aseries of tinted glassplates were often employedtoview a particular_settingas itmight appear at adifferenttime of

day

orinanother season.Such

idealizing

techniqueswereverypopular_{among tourists} andartiststo conveniently modifythelandscape. One begins toseethecontradic tionbetween theneedforthe tourist todiscovernatureuntouched

by

humanhandsand thedesireto improveuponit. Echoesofthe Picturesque movement continued on withtheadvent ofphotography.

anotherAnsel Adams.

"As tourismblossomed in the

nineteenth_{century, the}

preservation ofscenes

found

on

holiday

or ofplaces that manypeople would never see

firsthandwas made even more

possible with thecamera. "

Collecting

theWorld:

Touring

theWorld Through

Photographs,

George EastmanHouse9

In The Lureofthe

Local;

Senses

ofPlace inaMulti-centered

Society,

published in_spring,

1997,

author

Lucy

R. Lippardstatesthather book "isconcerned notwith the

history

of nature andthelandscapebut

with the

historical

narrativeasit iswritteninthelandscapeor place

by

thepeople wholiveorlivedthere."10 _{Britishgeographer}

Denis Cosgrove

defines

landscapeas "theexternal world mediated

through humansubjectiveexperience."11 _You

coulddefine placethat

way.Whenwelive ina

landscape,

it becomesa placetous,we are

close to

it,

intimate. A landscapeabsent of occupants canbecome a placeifwe explore

it,

oritwill remain alandscape ifall wedo is

observeit. J.BJacksonwrote:

"Isuspect no

landscape,

vernacular or_otherwise, can

be comprehended unless we perceiveitas an organiza

tionof space: unless we askourselves who owns or

usesthespaces, how

they

were created andhow

they

change."12

Theword

'landscape'

had itsorigin in

fifteenth-century

Germany.

Theterm'landschaft' referredtoa shaped

land,

a cluster of

temporary

dwellingsand more permanent

homes,

as opposedtoa referenceto

the surroundingwilderness. Inseventeenth_centuryDutchtherewas a

word

iandschap' or

'landskip,'

which referredtopaintingsof expan

sivelandwithdwellings.

Today

'landscape'

iscommonlyassociated

with place, nature, view, scenery, andhas radiated outintoanynum

berofmeanings,fromthepopular_prettyrural scene toa complex

Onthemost

basic

level,

landscape

iseverythingyou see when yougo

outdoors ifyou're

looking.

It iswhat you seefroma single (staticor

mobile)point of view aset of_{surfaces, the} pictorialorthepic

turesque,

'asfaras theeyecan see.'

Unlikeplace, landscape can_only beseenfromoutside, as a

backdrop

fortheexperienceof viewing. The

sceneistheseen. Theword

'landscape'

isused

interchangeably

fora

scene

framed

_{through viewing}(a_place) and a scene

framed

forview

ing

(apicture).

Place iswhere we standtolookaround at landscapeor lookoutto the

(less

familiar)

view.Theword

'place'

haspsychological echoes as well

as social ramifications.

'Someplace'

iswhat we are

looking

for. 'No place'

iswheretheseelements are unknown or

invisible,

but in fact

everyplacehas

them,

although some are

being

buried beneaththe

asphalt ofthemono-culture,the

'geography

of

nowhere.'

'Placeless-ness,'

then,

may simplybe place

ignored,

_unseen,or unknown.

Fewof usincontemporary NorthAmericansocietyknowour place.

Lucy

Lippard states

"Land,

history,

and culture meetina

multicen-tered society thatvalues placebutcannotbe limitedtooneview."13

Space defines

landscape,

where spacecombined with_memory

definesplace.

MY WORK

Environmentsformehavealways heldanimportantplace.

They

are

thestage on which we act out our existence.When

Lucy

Lippard

declared "Place formeis thelocus ofdesire. Places have

influenced

[image:12.548.37.515.182.403.2]

Figure 1

AviewofLogan's

Path,

Glacier National

Park, Montana,

whereI

often visitedwith_myfamily.

Figure 2

My

Grandfathersurveyinghis

land in

Whitefish, Montana,

1957.

places

faster

and

less

_{conditionally}thanIdo forpeople. Ican drive

througha

landscape

and_vividlypicture myselfinthat

disintegrating

mining cabin, thatsaltwater

farm,

that littleporchedhouse inthe

barrio.

Ican walkthrougha neighborhoodand picture

interiors,

unseenbackyards,"14₁

found

myself_{relating to}akindredspirit.

Iwas born intoan incredible

environment. Iamaproduct of

myenvironment. Iwasborn in

Whitefish,

Montana.We lived in

Hungry Horse,

abouttenmiles from West Glacier National Park.

Igrew_upbetween Montanaand

WesternWashington state.When Iwasfourwe movedto

Bellevue,

Washington,

a suburb ofSeattle.

Atthat timeBellevue'spopulation was 16,000.

Today

it isaround

250,000,

witheverytownaroundit

having

changed equally.

My

back

yard in Bellevuewasaforest. We livedon what was thentheedge of

town. Giant Red Cedars thathad fallenacrossthe ravines served as

ourbridges theremnants ofthe turnof_{the century}

logging

frenzy.

Today

this landisstrip malls,businessparks, andfreeways.

Iwasborn intothe largest

building

boom inhistory. Itwas atimeof

constructiononamassivescale.The interstate

highway

system which

would connectthecountrywhile

dividing

neighborhoods wasjust

beginning

togetunderway.

Subdivisions,

shoppingmalls wereboom

ing

as fastas

they

couldbuild theroadsto connectthem.Out West [image:12.548.35.179.470.707.2]

>

**

_M

I

^

'___>

BL'*

\

water projects. Iwasborn into

thisenvironment.

My

father left

New

Jersey

upon completion of

collegewith _mymotherand sis

ter tofulfill his 'manifest des

tiny.'

They

headedwestto the

remote wilderness ofNorthwest

Montanawhere_myfatherwasan

engineer onthe

Hungry

Horse

Dam. The

Hungry

Horse Dam

Figure3

My

mother andI in

Hungry Horse, Montana,

1952.

was oneof_many

being

built

by

theBureau of

Reclamation,

an obscure

littleagencyinthe earlypartof_{this century that}

totally

transformed

theAmerican West.

[image:13.548.34.510.47.292.2]

\1

Figure 4

My

fatherand sisters andIon an adventureneartheOlympic

Peninsula, Washington,

1955.

My

fatherwas astructuralengineer atatimewhen structuralengi

neers werethe predominate_changingforce intheAmerican

Landscape.

My

childhood was spent atdams_{that my}fathereither

workedon or was interested

in,

and at_shoppingmallsthat the

companyheworkedforwas_{putting up}all overthewest. In_myown

environment, myfather builta

driveway

thatrivaled_any interstate

highway. Built fromconcrete, reinforcedwithsteel_rods, complete

withacurve, the

driveway

willprobablysurvive longerthan the

house. Hethenwentontobuildabomb shelter underthehousethat

hadcement wallstwofeetthick. Ilearnedto

lay

cement

before

I

learnedto rideabike.

Iwasborn intoaready-made_groupof

friends:

Iwas theyoungest of

three.When IwastenI borrowed

(stole)

abook_{that my grandfather} [image:13.548.33.178.368.635.2]

became

myconstant companioninmyexplorationof_my

environment.

Asa_{photographer, I began}

by

_{making traditionalscenic}

images,

but,

as Iviewedthetremendous environmentalchange

taking

place all around_{me, my}motivationchanged. I beganto photograph_{the way} peopleaffectand interactwiththe

landscape,

fromthe trailerparks and_parkinglotsto thegravelpits andfactoriesofindustry. I lookout attheviewsIamsurrounded

by,

whatIsee whenIdrivetowork or school the

blandness

of_{the everyday}world.Thenthere isthe

environmentthatwe _mystify,thatwe holdonto as a myth of some pastoral ideal landscape a place we can visit or eludeto.Farfrom

inhabiting

a realmthatstands_completely apartfrom

humanity,

the

landscapeswelabelas

'natural'

arein fact

deeply

entangled withthe

words andimagesand ideaswe usetodescribe them.

Evenwhenwetravel throughabeautifulmountain landscape inthe

Sierra

Nevada,

a placethatonits surface_may seem as

uncontaminat-ed

by humanity

as anywhere onearth,we cannot

help

experiencing it

notjustas a natural environment,butas culturalicon. Weturnit into humansymbols,using itasa_repositoryforvalues and meaningsthat

wedefine. Whatwefind intheseplaces cannot

help being

_profoundly

influenced

by

the ideaswe

bring

to them.Asalandscapephotograph

er, the challengelies inmaking photographsthataddressthemyths of

landscape inwaysthatmake sense out ofcontemporaryexperience.

Inmy firstyear ofgraduateschool Iexplored and expanded uponthe

ideaofthe constructed environment.

During

fallquarter I

beauty.

InwinterquarterI

looked

atthecontradictions Iseeinwhat

weaspire_{to visit,}

juxtaposed

towhere weliveandspend oureveryday existence.In_springquarterIconstructed_my ownlandscapes frommy

imagination,

usingplaces that_exist, butcontrasting themwith places

that

didn't

quite_{mix, creating}subtle contradictions.

In_{my thesis work,} Icontinue _{questioning the} humanplace inthe

environment,

juxtaposing

differentenvironments with each other.The computerhasaffordedmethe media with whichIcreatetheseplaces.

EnvironmentsthatIam_especiallydrawntoarethewastelandsthat

we havecreated through

building

and_abandoning, andtheartificial environments we create:

"What concerns me as much asthestate ofAmerican

building

isthe Americanstate ofmind,inwhichillu

sionispreferred overreality to thepoint wherethe

replicaisaccepted asgenuineand thesimulacrum replacesthesource. Surrogateexperience and surro gateenvironmentshave become_{the American way}of

life. Distinctionsare nolonger made,or deemednec

essary, betweenthe real andthe

false;

theedge_usually goes to the

latter,

as an improvedversion with defects

corrected accessible and_{user-friendly} althoughthe

resonance of

history

and artintheauthentic artifactis

conspicuously

lacking."

AdaLouiseHuxtable,TheUnreal America:ArchitectureandIllusion15

Incontemporary

landscape,

theideaofquestioningand_{rethinking the}

think thatwe canseparatethe humanpresence and maintain areas of

isolation

no

longer

_{seems appropriate.William}

Cronon,

Frederick

Jackson Turner Professorof

History, Geography,

and Environmental

Studies

atthe

University

of

Wisconsin, Madison,

statedinthe intro

ductionto thebook

Uncommon

Ground; Rethinking

theHuman

Place in Nature:

"Atatimewhenthreats to thephysical environment

haveneverbeen greater, it_maybe

tempting

tobelieve

thatpeople needtobemounting the barricadesrather

than askingabstract questions aboutthehumanplace

innature. Yetwithout _confrontingsuch_questions, it

will be hardto knowwhichbarricadesto_mount,and

harderstilltopersuade largenumbers of people to

mountthemwith us.Toprotectthenaturethatisall

around_us,we mustthink

long

andhardaboutthe

nature we carryinsideourheads."16

He goeson_{to say}"Thework of

literary

_{scholars, anthropologists,} cul

tural

historians,

and critical theoristsoverthepast several

decades

has

yielded abundant evidencethat'nature'isnot_nearlyso natural asit

seems. Instead it isaprofoundlyhumanconstruction."17_This reality

couldbecontributingto the popularityofAnselAdam-type images if

they

can'texistinreality, thenmaybeinour

imagination.

I dosee a place forthese imagesandcontinueto make_{them myself,}

butwith theawareness of whatis justoutsidethe

frame.

The pho

tographs ofthe 1970'sand 1980'sthatdocumentedthe

landscape dealt

juxta-Theaveragehomesizehas

gonefrom 1,100square

feetto2,200squarefeet

since1950.

Evenashouses havegot

tenmore expensive and

farther fromthework

place, therehas beena

sharpincrease in

second-homeownership.

Theaverage price of an

automobile soldinthe

UnitedStatesnow exceeds

$22,000,

upmorethan 75

percentfromadecade

ago.

Total U.S. _spendingon

luxury

goodsincreased 21

percentbetween 1995and

1996 (typicalofrecent

years),while overall mer

chandisesalesincreased

only5percent.18

posethe two ina_{way that}willquestionwhatbothcontribute or

deny

inourattemptat

trying

to

find

ourplace inthisenvironmentthatwe

so

dominate.

Inamore _contemporarylookatthelandscape/environ

ment, I

find

myself

looking

atthe humanplace intheenvironment

comparingthetraditional

landscape

the picturesque withthereali

ty

ofthepresent

day.

Iwanttodealwith_{the complacency}of people in

addressingwhatis

happening

allaround

them,

as well ashowweslip

intoour

lifestyle

and contributeto the problem whilemaintainingan

illusionof

being

'conscientious.'

LANDSCAPES OF OUR LIFESTYLE

"The

frog

does

not

drink

_{up the}pond

in

which

he lives.

"

old proverb

Anew

luxury

fever has America in itsgrip. Independentof stock

prices, recessions,and inflationrates, thepasttwodecades havewit

nessed a spectacular and uninterrupted risein

luxury

consumption.

Ordinary,

functionalgoodsare no longeracceptable.Ourcars have

gotten

larger, heavier,

and farmore expensive.Mansions largerthan

30,000square feetnolongerseem extravagant.Wristwatches forthe

super-richcosttens ofthousandsofdollars. Weare

living

inan era

of excess.

Asthesuper-richsetthepace, everyone else spends

furiously

ina

competitive echo of wastefulness.Thecosts are enormous: wespend

more timeatwork,

leaving

less timefor

family

and

friends,

lesstime

forexercise. Mostof us have been forcedto saveless and spend and

borrowmuch more.Theannualrate at whichAmerican

families file

pres-sures

have

reducedourwillingness to

fund

even essential public ser

vices.Our

food

andwaterare

increasingly

contaminated. Potholes

proliferate andtraffic

delays

doubleevery tenyears. Ourspending

choices arenot_makingus as

happy

and

healthy

as

they

could.

Inacourt of

law,

ignorance

isnot an excuse. Not

knowing

thatit is

illegalcannotbeused as adefense. In

life,

can we claimignoranceas

an excuse? I didn't knowmylifestyle hadthatsort ofimpactonthe

environment. I

didn't

knowthatpeoplein Haitiwere paidbelowthe

cost of

living

tomake_clothingforthe

Disney

companyandthatwhen

they

askedforanincreasewagefrom around23cents to53cents a

day

inordertobeabletojustfeedtheirchildren,

Disney

flat-out

refused. Ididn't knowthatAmericancorporations _operatinginthird

world countries

literally

holdworkers_prisoner,

forcing

them towork

long

hours

by holding

theirtimecard,that

they

forcewomen to take

pregnancy testsandpayforthem themselves.Iffoundtobe_pregnant,

they

arefired. Ididn't know. . ..

In The ChronicleofHigher

Education, July 30, 1999,

William E.

Rees,

directorofthe Schoolof

Community

and Regional

Planning

atthe

University

ofBritish

Columbia,

wrote anarticle entitled:Life inthe

Lap

of

Luxury

asEcosystemsCollapse. Inthearticleheasksifyou

haveeverasked yourselfhowmuch oftheearth surface isrequired to

support you inthe styletowhich youare accustomed. Hegoes onto

talkabouthowevery

dairy

farmercan answerthatquestion withcows,

butseldominrelationtopeople:

"The CartesiandualismthatunderpinsWestern phi

psycho-logically

separating

humans

fromnature thatwe

simply

don't

conceiveofourselvesas ecological

beings,

as creaturesofthe land.

Ignoring

ourdepen

dence

on ourenvironmentisa seriousmistake."19

Inthearticleheelaboratesonhowpeoplehavemigratedtothecities

inrecent

decades

and itcontinues. The United Nationsprojects that

5.1 billionpeoplewilllive incities

by

theyear

2025,

_{roughly the}

entire globalpopulation in_{the early} 1930's.

Hardly

anyone acknowl

edges urbanization as a potential ecological problem."Onthe con

trary,

manyobservers interpreturbanization asfurtherevidence of

humanities

increasing

technicalprowess andindependence fromthe

land. Suchtechnologicalhubris isanillusion.

Separating

billionsof

peoplefromtheland thatsustainsthemisa_giddy

leap

offaithwith

serious implications forecological

security." 20

Mostpeoplethinkof cities as centers of culture and

learning

and as

the productive center of economicgrowth.That is

true,

they

are those

things, butcities are also sites of mass consumption of materialgoods

andtheproductionof waste.Awellknown U.S. _ecologist,

EugeneP.

Odum,

recognizedin Fundamentalsof

Ecology,

"Great

citiesare planned andgrowwithout_anyregard forthe factthat

they

are parasites onthe countryside which mustsomehowsupply

food,

water,and_air, anddegradehugequantities ofwaste."21_In

short, far

from_signalinghumanity's finalseparation fromnature, urbanization

merelyremoves peoplebothspatiallyand _{psychologically}fromthe

landthatsustains them.

of_years,

but

onlyinrecent

decades

has it becomepossible forthe

majority ofpeopleto

live

inthem. For betterorworse,

however,

this

phaseof our

development

may

be

relativelyshort-lived.Therecent

explosivegrowthofthehumanpopulation,our

intensely

material cul

ture,

andurbanizationitselfare all products of whatthesociologist

William R. Catton

has

calledthe "ageof

exuberance." In

Overshoot,

Cattonexplainedthat the

heady

optimism of

20th-century

North

America,

forexample, has beensustained

by

a sense of unlimited

abundanceas wehaveexploited thecontinent's stocks of natural

resources,particularlyfossil fuels. But Cattonrecognizedthat the

exuberance"hadtobe

temporary,

for (it

leads)

inexorably

toa change

inthe environmental conditionsthatmade

(it)

possible."22

Wehave beenconsumingatsuch a ratethis century thatresources

thatwehave

today

will notbeavailable inthenext century. Global

grain production percapitahas been

falling

formorethan a

decade,

theproductionoftheworld's fisheriespeakedinthe late

1980s,

water

suppliesare stretchedto the limit inmanyparts oftheworld,and

globaloil production willprobablypeakinthenextdecade. (The

United States has beenproducinglessandless oilforthepast30years

and nowimportsmost ofits petroleum.)Although theworld's_wealthy

nationshave been protected sofar fromtheconsequences of such

trends

by

theirpurchasingpoweringlobal markets, it isquestionable

whetherthat isolationcanbemaintainedfor

long

inthe

face

ofgrow

ing

demandand_collapsingecosystems.

ThepoliticalscientistsThomas

Homer-Dixon,

Jeffrey

H.

Boutwell,

and

GeorgeW Rathjensdirecteda project on environmental changeand

American

Academy

ofArtsand

Sciences.

Ina1993article in

Scientific

American,

they

wrotethat"inmanyparts oftheworld,

environmental

degradation

seemsto havepassedthe thresholdof

irreversibility"

andthat"renewableresourcescarcities ofthenext50

yearswill_probablyoccur with aspeed, complexity,and magnitude

unprecedented inhistory."23_The

authorsmadethecase that thewide

spread

loss

ofecological _stability

including

thecollapse of

fisheries,

deforestation,

and chronicdrought is

likely

toleadtogreater geopo

liticalstrifeand even warin_{the coming}decades.

In the

long

_{run, the}mostsecure and sustainable cities maybethosethat

succeedin_{reintegrating thegeography}of

living

and_employment, of

production andconsumption,of_cityand

hinterland.

As Sim Van der Ryn

andPeter Calthorpewrote in Sustainable

Communities,

such atrans

formed city,"ratherthan

being

_{merely the}site of_consumption,

might, throughitsvery

design,

produce some ofits ownfoodand

energy,as well asbecome thelocus of workfor itsresidents."24

Ifwefollowedsuch ecologicaldesign_principles, urban regions could

gradually becomenot_onlymore_{self-reliant,}butalso more_socially

rewardingand _ecologicallybenign. Throughgreater

dependence

on

local_{ecosystems, city}dwellerswouldbecomemoreawareoftheircon

nectedness tonature.As

they

becomemoreconscientious stewards of

theenvironment,theirliveswouldbecome less _{materialistic;} in

turn,

thatchangewould reduceboththe cities'

ecological

footprints

and the

politicaltensions

they

would otherwise foster.

Tothe_upwardlymobile beneficiaries oftheage ofexuberanceallthat

maysoundsurreal, even ridiculous.We areaccustomed_{to expecting}a

thenaturalworld. Butthatroad

leads

inevitably

toadeadend.

Accelerating

globalchangehasshownthattheearth cannot

keep

an

infinitely

expandingpopulationinthe

lap

ofluxury. Scholarsshould

start

looking

fora new route now.

The Lakotawas atrueNaturist aloverof nature. Helovedthe

earth andallthingsof_{the earth, the}attachment_growingwith age.

Theold people came

literally

tolovethesoil and

they

sat or

reclinedontheground with a

feeling

of

being

closetoa_mothering

power.Itwas goodfortheskin to touch theearth andtheold peo

plelikedtoremovetheirmoccasins and walk withbarefeetonthe

sacred earth. Theirtipiswerebuiltupontheearth andtheiraltars

were madeof earth. Thebirdsthat

flew

in theair cametorest upon

theearth anditwasthefinal_abidingplace of allthings thatlived

and grew. Thesoil was_{soothing, strengthening,} cleansingand

healing.

That iswhy the oldIndianstill sits upontheearthinsteadof_prop

pinghimselfupand_awayfrom its

life-giving

forces. For

him,

tosit

orlieuponthegroundistobeableto thinkmore

deeply

andtofeel

more

keenly;

hecan see moreclearlyintothemysteries oflifeand

come closerin

kinship

tootherlivesabouthim...

Kinship

withall creatures oftheearth, skyandwater was a real

and active principle.Fortheanimal andbirdworldthereexisteda

brotherly feeling

thatkeptthe Lakotasafeamongthemandso

closedidsomeoftheLakotascometo their featheredandfurred

friendsthatin true brotherhood

they

spokea commontongue.

TheoldLakotawas wise.He knewthatman'sheartawayfrom

naturebecomes

hard;

he knewthatlackofrespectforgrowing, liv

ing

thingssoonledtolackofrespectfor humanstoo. So he kept his

youth closetoitssoftening influence.

"People

_saythatwhat we'reall_seeking isa_meaning

for

life.

I

don't

thinkthat'swhatwe're _reallyseeking. I

thinkthatwhatwe're_{seeking is}an experience of

being

alive, sothatourlifeexperiences on_{the purely}

physical planewill

have

resonanceswithin our own

innermost

being

and_reality, sothatweactuallyfeel

the raptureof

being

alive."

Joseph

Campbell,

The PowerofMyth26

Didthe nativesAmericans havea wordfor

development?

Didthe

Native Americans havea wordforexpansion?Didthe Native

Americans,

inalltheirvast cultures and

languages,

havea wordfor

progress?What isprogress?What isexpansion?What isnecessary

aboutdevelopment?

CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION

Abumpersticker popularin

thel970's,

whenmy generationcared

about such

things,

read"Live_simplysothatothers_{may simply} live."

Itsoundsso_simple,and it isso_simple, except we are somotivatedto

consume.Andour consumptionhassuch animpactontheworld

around us.As

individuals,

wedon't lookat are own impactonthe

world.

No,

it isthe problem of_{the corporations, the rich, the poor, the}

persondownthestreet,or allthosepeoplein China. Everyoneelse

butme!

"Hey,

I

recycle!"

Yetit isthe totalsum of me'sthatcreatethe

problem all of uswantingmoreand more and more.Abigger

house,

abiggercar,a

boat,

an

RV,

video gamesforthe

kids,

a new_porch,

patio

furniture,

new

dishware,

another

TV,

maybe a

home

entertain

dining

tableseemstorequire new

tableware,

new

linens,

perhaps an

entire _remodelingofthe

dining

room. On and on and on.

One

hundred

years_ago,what wasthe totalwealth inpossessions of a

wealthy person,of amiddle class_person, or of a poor person? How

wouldthatcompare today? Howwouldthatcompareto thepeople we

displaced

when_{we, through expansion, took}overthisland? What have

we ourselvesgainedas individuals fromall ourincreasedpossessions?

Arewe

happier?

Arewe more at peace?Arewe more appreciative? I

constantlyheartheechoof_mygeneration_cryingabout

living

at a

lowerstandardthan theirparents and Iwonder on whatground

they

lay

thatclaim.Igrew_up inan upper middle classtown.Mostofmy

friends hadone

TV,

one_car, VCR'sweren'tinventedyet;allinall,

muchlesswithintheinteriorwalls oftheirhomes.

Today,

mygenera

tionseemstospend more_{time shopping}thananyotheractivity.Mail

orderbusiness is

booming,

_shoppingmalls seem_{to pop up}over night

and_{the parking}lotsarefilledall year_round, notjustatChristmas.

PeterMenzel's MaterialWorld:A Global

Family

Portraitwas pub

lished

by

theSierraClub in 1994. Sixteenphotographerstraveled to

thirty

nationstolive fora week with familiesof each nation who were

consideredstatisticallyaverageforthatnation.Atthe end ofthevisit,

thephotographercollaborated withthe

family

fora portrait. Thepho

tographerwouldhave the

family bring

all oftheirpossessionsoutside

and placetheminfrontoftheir

home,

thenphotographthe

family

surrounded

by

theirpossessions afew jarsandjugs for_some,an

explosion of electronicgadgetry forothers.The

Americans,

of_course,

hadthemoststuff_{'thosewiththemosttoysattheend}

win?' What

inthe

belongings.

TheAmericans'

andothermoreaffluent

cultures'

belongings

seemed

temporary,

thestuff oflandfills. The book isvery

strong in its portrayal ofthelookandfeelofthehumancondition

aroundtheworld. It

brings

to

light

a serious question: canfive billion

people

have

allthe'stuff

they

want?This bookwas publishedin

1994;

today,

in

1999,

we are_approachinga world population of8 billion

people.27

When Iwas _growingup, myparents_onlyuseda charge card once and

thatwastopurchase drapes fora newhouse. Otherwise_everything

waspaidfor in_cash,

including

a new car.

Today

we can

buy

even when

we

don't

havethe cash.TheChristmas seasonismeasured successful

ifsales are up. Christthrew themerchants out ofthe templeand,in

revenge,

they

havetakenoverhis birthday. In_{countering the}

pre-Christmas

frenzy,

two graphicartists created an installationtocom

memorate'International No

Shop

Day.'Sophie

Thomas,

adesigner for

the

Body Shop,

andKristine Mathews ofthe Royal CollegeofArts

Environment Program renteda storefrontwhich

they

called"No

Shop."

Insidethestore

they

decorated itwithbanners_usingmarket

ing

slogansto pullpeople in. Their ideawastouse

internationally

rec

ognizedmarketing techniques toquestiontheassumptions ofglobal

consumerism.

They

countertheseslogans with other slogansthat

read"Don't

Buy

This,"

"Buy

Less," "Live More,""Relax,"

and"Don't

Shop

thePlanet."Ona receipt

they

printed:

"Every

product we

buy

impactson ourenvironment

Rawmaterialsare extractedenergyand resources go

intomanufacturingand

finally

whenit is nolonger

tackleover_{consumption, particularly in}countries like

theUKwherewe consumefarmorethanourfair

share oftheworlds resources. The prime_{responsibility}

may

lie

with governmentand

industry,

but it isthe

individual

who

holds

the finalpurchasing

power." 28

Weseem tobe_propellingourselves intothe

future

by

frantically

con

suming everythingwe cangetourhandson.

Why

are weso empty?

Weare_stuffingour

faces

with_everythingwe can putintothem.What

needarewe

trying

tofill? Arewe

happier,

more contentthanpeople

onehundredyears ago?Has ourincrease inmaterialgoodsbrought

us whatit iswe want?Arewe happierthan theAmish?

Why

dowe

spend so much_{time observing them?}Dowethink

they

havesome

thing

we

don't,

ordowefeelsorryforthem?Theseare_verycomplex

questions Iam_asking,and one can_{say there} isno simple answer.Yet

there isa simple answer, once weget past allthestuff wehave putin

the wayoftheanswer.

Butthisis notmy topic my topicisthe

landscape,

theenvironment

inwhichwe act out ourexistence, the place where we experience our

reality.What Iaminterested in isthe landscapewe are_creating

throughour

'lifestyles'

andhowwe will interactwith thatlandscape.

Howwillthatlandscapeaffectwho weare ashuman beings? In Grand

Forks,

North

Dakota,

afterthe floodof

1997,

asthe streetspiled _up

with ruinedprocessions, someone put a signup thatread"weare not

our

belongings."

Intheaftermathof

disaster,

we can_easilysee

that,

butwhat ofthe comfortabletimeswhen we crowdthe storestoget

those things thatwe are not?

My

thinking

isnot popular

because

we

likeour

'stuff.'

havearecake and eatittoo? Canwecontinue onthepath we are on

without

destroying

_everything?

Americans

_{weretheonesthatcameup}

withtheconceptof'plannedobsolescence': inordertoincreasesales

of

durable

_goods,product

designers

and_advertisingagencies con

spiredtoconvincethepublic_{that their cars, refrigerators,} etc.were

out ofdate

long

before

they

_actually

lost

therefunction. It isa recent

occurrenceto

buy

whatonedoesn't_reallyneed.The First Lawof

Materialism:themodernAmerican idealthatsays"Change is good;

oldis

bad." ₂₉

We _say"I

think,

thereforeIam,"

but intoday's societyit ismore appro

priate_{to say}"I_{can, therefore} Iwill."

We

buy

becausewe can.One can

havemanyabstractideasaboutlifeanditsmeaning,butthe realityis

thatwe are hereonthisplanet and_{everything that}wedotoitwill affect

us.It is our stage on which we experience our_realityand we cannot

changethatbasicfactno matter what we choosetoimagineorbelieve.

Georgia O'Keefeonce said:

"Closenessto the landcaninspirea closenessin God.

Aclosenessto thelandcan alsoinspire Art."

Weoftensay that thelandscape is symbolic, butsymbolic of what? It

depends: it is different for differentpeople anddifferent

depending

on

theimagesviewed. Some landscapes symbolize a

looking

inward.

I haveanimageofGlacier National

Park,

Lake McDonaldtobeexact.

Itwasphotographed

by

Marshall

Noice,

a photographer Ihadnever

heardof. I boughttheimage forseveralreasonsand Icontinuetolook

attheimage foradifferentreasonthanthatwhichmotivated meto

reason to

buy it,

but

unlikeanAnsel Adams

image

takenofthesame

lake,

it isnotaliteral

interpretation.

_{It is}

dreamlike,

_{it draws}me in

my

being

gets

lost

inthe

image.

It is blackand white and somewhat

surreal,although_nothingwas

done

tomanipulate itoutside of angle

of_view,exposureandtraditionalprinting. Itisnot multipleimages as

are

found

in

Jerry

Uselman's

work.There is just adreamlike quality

thatpulls meinto itand allows my

being

towonder. Ihaveneverbeen

drawnto the literalcolor

landscapes

likethoseofElliot Porteror what

onemight

find

inthe Sierra Clubcalendar.

They

are whatIrefertoas 'pictorial:'

they describe

literally

exactlywhatisthere.Such imagesdo

not

draw

one in

they

are not evocative

they

justrecord.

By

looking

intothe

image,

one is led inwardto theirown

thoughts,

theirpersonal inner landscape. Thevieweris drawn in notto the

world ofthe

literal,

but instead intoone's own self. The

history

of

landscape paintinginthis countryembodied

deep

religiousfeelings.

Thomas Cole inthe early1800'swentinsearch ofthe'divine spirit'

inherent intheland ofthisnew country. Much ofthe landscapepaint

ingsofthe19thcenturydefineda_youngAmerica's idealism. Asthe

19thcenturymovedtowards the

20th,

thisromanticism was eclipsed

by

Impressionism,

Modernism,

andAbstraction. Landscapewastrans

formed

by

theprogressofthe IndustrialRevolution. Thomas Colewas

haunted

by

the horrorsofthe IndustrialRevolutionwhichhe

observed inhis nativeEngland. Hisearlydeathpreventedhim from

witnessingthe industrialdevelopmentofhis belovednew

home,

but he hada powerful

foreboding

vision ofitsarrivalin America.

of modernism athread ofthat truth innatureremains.Whenasked

why

he didn't

paint

from

_{nature, Jackson Pollock declared "Iam}

nature!"

"Thiscontinuum remains unbrokentoday.

Many

artistsstill

derive

theirinspiration

directly

fromthe

landscape,

altered

by

man asit mightbe. Tothose

painterswho still seekthemanifestationofthis'divine

spirit,'

thechangesthathave occurredto theland

havenot

diminished

thesource oftheir inspiration.

Rather

they

informtheartists'

intimate relationships

with_{the environment,}and

inevitably

giverise to

workthatcouldnotbeperceived as_anythingbut

contemporary."₃₀

In

1992,

Czechoslovakian President Vaclav Havelgavea speechto the

World Economic Forum inSwitzerlandentitled"The Endofthe

ModernEra."

Havelequatedtheend of modernism withthe fallof

Communism ineasternEurope. Havel saidthenow-discreditedmod

ern era"gaveriseto theproudbeliefthatman,asthe pinnacle of

everything thatexists,wascapable of_objectively

describing,

explain

ing

andcontrolling everything thatexists,and of_{possessing the}one

andonly truthabouttheworld. Itwas an erainwhichtherewas a

cult ofdepersonalizedobjectivity, anerainwhich objective

knowledge

was amassed and

technologically

exploited,an era ofbelief inauto

matic progressbrokered

by

thescientificmethod."31

What disturbsme aboutthecurrenttrends is theloss of

individuality.

have

become

predictable.When Igetoffthe

interstate,

Iknow Iwill

finda_shoppingcenter with thesamestoresas_myhome a

Perkins,

an

Olive

Garden,

and of_course,

McDonald's.

_{I know}whatIwillfind

even

before

Igetthere. Forpeoplewho

harp

so much onadventure,

why

do

wewantso muchpredictability?The

Disney

companyhas

bought

aCaribbean Islandtocreate aCaribbeangetaway.It is based

ontheconceptof whatonewould conceiveaCaribbean Islandto

be,

minus_{the unpredictability}of'real

natives.'

We canhaveouradven

turewithoutthe

inconveniences

of reality.Butwhatis an adventure?

Tome it

has

alwaysbeentheunknown.

My

travels have beenadven

turousbecause of whatIdidn'texpect thepeopleImeet andinteract

with, theones _{that really}knowa place and whatthatplace isabout

not someone

being

paidtoprovidethe illusionof adventure.

Doomsday

theoristsgenerallypredictthedestructionofthe earth as

the end ofmankind. Ibelievewe will

destroy

ourselves

first,

which

willallowtheearth_{to slowly}heal itselffromthevirus ofhuman

beings. Justas thedinosaurs disappeared fromexistence and theearth

went_on,so will wedisappearandtheearthwill stillgoon_revolving

aroundthesun.

One

day

Iwasexplainingthepretense ofmy thesis tosomeone. Iwas

talking

about theNativeAmericanconcept ofthe seventhgeneration

and heinterruptedmesaying

that,

ifgiventhe

technology

and indus

try

thatwehave today, Native Americanswouldhave done thesame

things to theenvironmentthatwe

have,

that

they

hada

tendency

to

dump

thingsand move on.AlthoughIcannot arguethepoint, Ido

believethatwhat

they

left behind has nothadthe detrimental impact

he questioned meon

this,

_{itstarted me}

thinking

_{about whatit isthat}

our_{current cultureis}

looking

_{forwhen we}

glorify

thepast.Whatare

we

looking

for

in Native Americanculturesthatwelack inour own?

Thesamecan

be

askedof our

infatuation

and_curiositywiththeAmish.

"More Americansthan ever,

well over70_percent, nowlive

inurban areas andtend tosee

Plains landas empty. What

they

reallymean is devoidof

humanpresence.Mostvisitors

toDakota travelon interstate

highways

thatwilltake them

as_quicklyas possiblethrough

the region,past ourlarger

citiestosuch attractions as

theBadlandsandtheBlack

Hills.

Looking

attheexpanse

ofland in

between,

they

may

wonder_whya person would

chooseto live insuchabarren

place, letalonelove it. But

mostly

they

arebored:

they

turn up thecar_stereo, count

themilestocivilization, and

lookaway.

"

KathleenNorris,

Dakota;

A Spiritual

Geography

32

Withallthis

discussion

aboutwhat_photography isand

isn't,

I feelfor

me thatit isanobservation.

My

imagesare notmeanttobe judge

ments,justobservations.Makeofthemwhat you

like,

letthembe a

reflectionoftheworldthatmanhascreated.

NOTHINGNESS

When Iattendedthe National Graduate Symposium in

Photography

in

June, 1998,

theartistMike Mandelreferredto

Pullman, Washington,

as

'nothing

being

there.'33₁

found

myself_questioningwhathevalues.

Whatgivesalocationvaluetous? The ideaof

'nothing'

iswhatthe

original settlers used asjustification for

taking

land fromtheoriginal

inhabitants. Wewouldcultivate and

develop

the

land,

thus_{giving it}

value. Howcan

'nothing'

bethere?Wedonot live ina vacuum.

Today

we liketoholdup the Native Americansas somewhat superiorto us

(possibly

reflecting on aguiltyconscience).Yet

they

lived inthesame

landscapethatMike Mandel referredtoas_nothing

'being

there.'

What

is the'something'we want?Culture? What is culturebuta reflection

ofwho we are. Whatmakes us who we are? Opera? Theater? Theulti

mate punishment (aside from

death)

inour_societyis_solitaryconfine

ment,

having

tobealone with oneself.Alandscapesuch as thatwhich

surrounds Pullmancan put one alone with oneself.Inthe 19thcentu

ry manywivesinhomesteaderfamilieswentinsane

because

ofthe

"The

land

and_skyoftheWest

oftenfillwhatThoreautermed

our 'needtowitness our

limits

transgressed.'"

KathleenNorris,

Dakota;ASpiritual

Geography

^4

Whatmade me reacttoMike

Mandel's

referencetoPullmanwasthatI

have

very strongmemoriesofthat

landscape.

Something

inme

awakened whenI

began

_{exploring it inmy} lateteen'sand_{early twen}

ties.

Partly

itwas_awakening childhood memoriesof

driving

between

Montana

andwestern

Washington,

_butmore itwasthebarrennessof

it. Thesensuous curvature ofthewheatfieldsthatwent onforever.

Theunexpected riverbedthatwould_suddenlyappear aroundabend in

the road, almost

like

a scar onthe landscape. Formeitwas aland

scapethat

inspired

a_creativity inmethat Ihad never exploredbefore.

Yes,

I

had

been_{photographing}other_{environments,}butthislandscape

opened _{up something}inme.We oftenhearof writers and artists

escaping toa particularlandscapeto'create,' such asGeorgia O'Keeffe

toNew Mexico.

Why

is itthatwe respondtoparticular landscapes? I haveoftenfelt

that themasses need themost spectacularlandscape torespond the

Grand

Canyon, Yellowstone,

etc.Inthe late 1700'sand earlier

1800's,

therewas what was referredtoasthe 'Grand Tourof

Europe.'

Tourists

could gotopredetermined vistas and viewfroma precise_spot, this

vista. Itwasalsodetermined_{that viewing through}a mirror wasthe

most appropriate method of viewing. Justas with artwork which a

critic has deemeda

'masterpiece,'

a place canbe

designated

'pristine.'

Why

is itthatsomepeople need thispredeterminationto'see'whatis

'beautiful,'

while others can definetheirownideaof

beauty

inthe

landscape? Does itcomedowntowhatspeakstous? Thereflectionthe

landscape givesus? Forme,thebarrenness ofEastern Washington

was almost a spiritual awakening. Isay

'almost'

because I don'twant

toputit in therealm ofreligious,butsomethinginthat

landscape

andIcontinueto

find inspiration

inthe

landscape

betweenthe majes

ticmountainsandthevastnessofthe Great Plains.

What

is

itthatsome

find

boring

or_uninspiringinthe landscapes like

the

Great Plains?

Why

did

_{theDakotas drivesome people mad?Whatis}

it inusthat

fears

emptiness?We fear death

because

wefearthatthere

will

be

_nothingafter

life.

These barren

landscapes

mayremind us of

that_possibilityof'nothingness.' In

Dakota;

ASpiritual

Geography,

Kathleen Norrisstates"Dakota isa painful reminder ofhuman

limits,

justascities and _shoppingmalls areattempts to

deny

them."35

INFLUENCES

"When

Iphotograph

in

a

landscape

I

don't have

the

history

and

stanceof

Adams

and

Weston

and

Porter,

because

I think

they

have

amoremajestic_view, a more

idealized

view.

They

went

out

into

nature

in

the

Romantic

tradition,

which wastogo

into

naturetomakeyour_work, tousewhat's there.

But

they

also

felt

they

wantedto controlthisandtopoeticize this.

They

had

a

reason tomakephotographs.

They

were

intellectual

about

it.

I'm

visceral.

Ijust

go, and

ifI

see_something

I

don

't

askwhat

it

means.

They

came ata timewhen theprinted wordwasthe

strongest communicator ofthought.

"

Joel Meyerowitz36

My

owninfluences in landscape have beentheworks ofMichael Kenna

and RichardMisrach. MichaelKenna'sworkprovokes a

dreamlike

qual

ity

his imagesare surrealinthere reality.Richard Misarach'sstrik

southwest engagesone

first

inthe

beauty

and thenintheshockofthe

reality

they

are

depicting.

Themost

beautiful

sunsets comethrough

pollution the

haze

in

Gary,

Indiana

produces spectacularsunsets,

suddenly quietintheir

beauty,

luring

like

_{thosein Richard Misrach's}

work.

Ibegan

by

_{photographing}traditionallandscapes.

My

passionremains

blackand white

landscapes.

I lovethework ofMichael Kennaand

John

Sexton.

Ispokeearlier of a postertowhich Iam_reallydrawn

an

image

ofLake McDonald nearGlacier National

Park,

near whereI

wasborn. Ansel Adamsalsodidan imageofLake McDonaldwhich

doesn't do

much forme.Hisphotograph portrays thelandscape inall

its splendor and magnitude,

but

it doesn't drawme in. It isa pictorial

representation ofthesite.TheposterI havealso portraysthe magni

tudeof_{this site,} but it isquieter.Takenin_{the early morning}

hours,

the

layering

of mountains seemlike paperthrough theaerialperspec

tiveofthedistances. The compositionleadsme intotheimageand, in

doing

so, leadsme intomyself. Ilookatthisposter, notfornostalgic

remembrance,but forself-reflection,for inwardsolace.

Yes,

you could

sayit is likea meditation.Forme, thatiswhatthespectacularland

scapes ofthewestare about.

They

makeme conscious of_myplacein

thiscreation,

they

humbleme,

they

drawme inward. Thesublime in

the surreal(orthe surrealinthesublime). Somelandscapes just

record,

they

describe

literally

exactlywhatisthere.

They

donotdraw

THESIS SHOW

Themain

focus

of_mythesiswork was

juxtaposing

theenvironments

we

inhabit

withtheenvironments our

lifestyle

iscreating. Ibeganmy

thesis workingaround a conceptof'whereto goon

vacation.'

Iwas

interested

in

juxtaposing

images

_{of waste and pollutionwith}

recre

[image:35.548.34.521.218.537.2]

ation. Anumberof_my

images

wouldfall intothisconstruct

Figure 5

Between Dreams &

Reality

The

image

Ibeganwithwas

Between Dreams &

Reality

(figure 5,slide1). Itwas motivated

first

by

the twomain visual ele

ments thewindow andthe

gravelpits then

by

achildhood

dreamofmineitstimulated.

When Iwas a childIsuffered

from

fevers,

andwhen Iwould

have

fevers,

Iwould alsohave

dreamsthatdealtwith overcom

ing

something.One dreamwas

overcominga roomfullofpencil

lead. Ofalltheimages in my

show,Between Dreams &

Reality

isthemost surreal.There is no

believing

ittobearealenvi

ronment thestrange perspectiveofthe

distant

graveland the

fore

groundandtheslightdistortionofthewindowstells theviewerthat

thisisnot areal place, butpossiblyadreamone might

have.

IfollowedthisimagewithSoiled Slopes(Figure6,slide_2),an

image

that

[image:36.548.30.522.57.377.2]

Figure 6

Soiled Slopes

ofthecolor andblackandwhite

images.

Theskierwasshotinthe

studio andthen'placed' inthe

landfill.

This imagewasalso

based

off ofa childhoodexperi

ence: onetime afriendand Igot

off atrailanddiscoveredthe

'dump'

behind

thepicturesque

mountain

lodge,

once described

as the

'dirty

littlesecret'

ofthe

ski industry. Butthisimagealso

talks about a

future

and apossi

ble usefor landfills. Between

Madisonand

Milwaukee,

Wisconsin,

thereisa_cityon

Interstate

94, Oconomowoc,

thatis inaveryflatarea.

Surrounding

the cityarefieldsthathaveabsolutelynorisesinthem.Inthemiddle

of all thisisahillthatlooks likea pimplerising upoutoftheearth. I

have beentold thatit had beena

landfill;

nowit isaski resort.

The image Bathers(figure7,slide_{3) is}onethatcouldbe mistakenfor

real. Itfalls intothe'whereto goon

vacation'

theme,

butpresents

itselfas a real place.It isanimagethatIhaveseen inreality.Aphoto

intheNew York Timesthissummerofswimmers in Icelandpresented

itselfthisway. The imagewas ofswimmersswimming ina_steamy

lakethatwasarunofffromanuclear powerplant.Also_{this summer,} a

televisionnetwork reported onhowpeoplein Moscowwere _swimming

inthe

highly

pollutedMoscowRivertoavoidthe high temperatures

proba-Figure 7

Bathers

bly

the inspiration behindthe

image

Bathers. Inthe

image,

I

wanted_{to play}off ofasense of

human

drama

between the

swimmers, whilebehindthem is

anotherdrama

being

playedout:

pollution. Iplacedthe swimmers

ina

triangle,

one woman

looking

towards a man whois glancing

towards another woman(inreal

life,

itisthesame woman).This

imagecreates a sense ofthe

dramaof our_everydaylivesand

thestage on which we act out

our existence.

In PrairieLandscape(figure8,

slide4) Ionceagainplayedoff of

the real. It isa viewthatcould

existinreality,but inthis caseI

created it. Iwantedtocreate a

sense ofablockedview,a view

obstructed

by

ourwaste a scar

onthesublime.But Ialsoused a

foggy,

dreary

winter

day,

thesort

of

day

thatoneequatestowhen [image:37.548.33.349.113.319.2]

envisioningthisscenario.

Figure 8

[image:37.548.33.354.415.674.2]

[image:38.548.35.479.91.397.2]

Figure 9

Emerald

City

Emerald

City

(figure 9,slide5)also

plays offof_realityandtheview,

but

inthisimage Iwantedto

juxtapose

therich soilthat isso

important

tooursurvivaland

the pollutionthatisalways close

to the soil.This _refinerynot_only

puts the toxinsintothe ground

andwateraround

it,

butalso

into theairthat thensettleson

top

ofthe soil.Wetake our soil

somuchforgrantedand wecon

stantlycomplainaboutelements

ofnaturethatwemight

find

in

ourfood.Afriendofmine would not_shopat a naturalfoodcoop

because shethought theproduce was

'dirty.'

Ioverheard awoman at

thefarmers' market_explaininghow

disgusting

itwasto

find

wormsin

theapples.

Wearesofarremovedfrom thesourceofour_needs,and so

disgusted

by

natureand

dirt,

yetthepollution our new lifestylescreatedoesn't

seemtoaffectusas much.IthinkofChief Luther

Standing

Bearof

theOglala band ofSioux

talking

aboutthe love hispeoplehad forthe

land: "The LakotawasatrueNaturist aloverofnature. He lovedthe

earthand allthings ofthe earth,theattachment_growingwith age.

Theoldpeople came

literally

tolove thesoiland

they

sator reclined

onthegroundwith a

feeling

of

being

closetoa_motheringpower."37

Figure 10

RoomwithaView

her disinfectantcleaners and

produce

free

from anyreference

to theearthfromwhichitcame.

That isthe picturethatwasin

mymindwhenIputtogether

EmeraldCity. Ithinkitisalso

intesting

thatwehaveattached

somanynegativeconnotations

to

dirt;

dirty,

soiled,

filthiness,

smut,to name afew. What does

that sayabout usas apeople and

our_{relationship to the}land?

Roomwith aView(figure10,

slide₆₎andJaded(figure11,slide7)

playoff oftheconceptof_going

insideas wepollutetheplanet.

WhenIthinkofthebiosphere

experiment several years

back,

I

didnotpicture itasan experi

mentforspacetravelas muchas

an experimentfor futureearth

inhabitants.The hole inour

ozoneis getting larger inspite of

the reduction of

chlorfluorocar-bons. Skincancerisontherise.

Inthefuturewe_maywellhave

[image:39.548.33.305.63.354.2]

[image:40.548.33.307.58.337.2]

Figure 12

Anticipation

Anticipation(figure12,slide₈₎and

Waiting

(figure13,slide_{9) play}off

ofthesameconcept of

being

inside,

but

add thehumanele

ment. Iusedthe imagesofthe

people

(actually

takeninabus

depot)

becauseofthesense of

waitingandanticipationthat

they

project.Are

they

waiting

untilit is onceagain safetogo

outside?These imageswere

inspired

by

thewarnings ofhigh

ozone levels ontheeastcoast

this summer which warnedpeo

plewith asthma(ofwhichIam

one) to stayinside.

Figure 13

[image:40.548.35.310.392.660.2]

[image:41.548.33.519.60.376.2]

Figure 14

Sunflowers

Sunflowers(figure14,slide10)

playsoff oftheideaof_returning

landfills

tosome sortofpractical

usage.Whatmightthatbe? I

have

seen landfillsturnedinto

parks,but

they

arealways empty.

I haveseen subdivisionsbuilton

former landfillswheremethane

gascontinues tobea problem.

Youryard canhavevents instead

oftrees. Aone-halfblockareaof

homes builtonaformer landfill

explodedback inthe 1980's in

the citywhereIwasliving.

Maybewecan growdead flowers. Onecan also seethis imageas

beauty

juxtaposedto thebland. Whilethis imagewas on exhibitionat

another_{gallery, I}was_continually

being

toldhow beautiful itwas,

and itwas thesunflowers

they

wereseeing,thebackgroundwas not

noticed. Itis amatter of perception what we see and choose not

Figure 15

Encroachment

Encroachment

(figure 15,slide₁₁₎

is_simply

that,

encroachment of

our

development

on all other

species andtheirhabitats. But

this

image

hasatwist the

beavers

arestuffed,part ofa

display

inalodgeat a state park

in New Yorkstate.Blessedare

the taxidermistsfor

they

will

preservethewildlife thatonce

inhabitedthe earth.

Thecomputer enables meto

rearrange partsto illustratemy

ideas,

much_{the way}apainter or

illustratorworks.Theseare_myideasthatdo not existin_realityasI

present

them,

butare representative ofareality thatdoesexist and

will_conceivablybearealityinthe future. Iarrange _my landscapesand

environments_{the way my}imaginationperceivesthefuture.

My

work

involvesthat

landscape,

but it isnot_reallyaboutthe landperse. Itis

aboutourplacewithinthe landand ourinteractionwithit. The

metaphorscreatedaroundlandscapesreflectbackto our needto

understandourselves.

CONCLUSION

Aphotograph expressesaperception whichitself isnottakenas

fixed

or stable.

Many

stories canbetoldandnoneare completeorconclu [image:42.548.32.510.59.385.2]

strung togethercantell a

truth,

but

apartalone isnot enoughinfor

mation

from

whichtoconcludeanything. Thereis muchdiscussion

today

onthe truthfulnessof aphotograph. Withcomputer manipula

tion peopleno

longer

trust thephotograph astrue. Ifeelthata photo

graphwasnevermeanttobetruthbecause it is a representation of

reality, it isa partof awhole,butwe continuetolook forsomefunda

mental

truth,

_somethingthatwe canforevertrust.

Photography

pro

vides somesense oftruth.We coined an expression'the picture does

n'tlie'to reaffirm ourtrustin it. Butthensome begantoquestionthe

photograph,

they

asked about whatthephotograph_excluded,what

wasleftout was asimportantas what was included.

"(Photographs)

are _popularlysupposedtobe'true,'

and, atworst,

they

areso, inthesenseinwhich an

echois true toa conversation of whichitomitsthe

mostimportantsyllables and reduplicatesthe rest."

Thereare _{many things that}wetake_{for granted,}thatwe consider

necessit