Town: Leonard Fitch
Town: Tea with the Demarays
TOWN a portrait - JD Crowe Bluegrass Festival
Town: José
Town: Clay’s
Town: Mayor Rainwater
Town: Dennis in Socks
Town: Rudy
Town: Rave Run
Town: Martin Prentise
Town: Cloud of Witnesses
Town: Snowy Playground
Town: Marathon Station
Town: Andy Bathje
Town: Llewelen Pano
Town: Gallery View.
TOWN: a portrait
In this stilled reflection of a town in perpetual motion, we see a snow-laden playground reflecting memories of my own childhood, along with the pastimes of my children. Real estate developments and major construction projects show a town in flux and set to sprawl across fields of green space. An older, wiser generation ages and imparts knowledge and perspective, while my own generation strives to learn from and build on the past.
In walking around to photograph it became apparent to me how different the “real” town is from my perception of it. I understand what Finnish architect Juhani Pallasmaa has said about how each of us has constructed an abstract city within our minds, built from the raw materials of our evocations and remembrances. The magic of what he calls the “metropolis of the mind” is that we can flit instantly not only from one place to another, but through time and experiences as well.
What is present is as important as what is not. An empty room can still hold the unmistakable presence of past actions, ambitions and bits of remembrance. These can be perceived whether seen or unseen, within or without the frame. It is a sort of testament to the leavings of time’s tyrannical, forward march.
—Excerpts from the exhibit statement.