SHED WORLD

In SHED WORLD, Irving casts a distinctly cinematic eye over a nine-acre outdoor showroom of prefabricated sheds located outside Hesperia; a small town in Southern California’s high desert. These brightly lit sheds are visible from the freeway, perched atop wooden pallets waiting to be fork-lifted off the lot and transported to your backyard. The artist considers this series to be both a study of utilitarian architecture designed for the average consumer, as well as a collection of environmental portraits. Using a large format camera, Irving photographs the sheds individually, making long exposures of each spotlit structure moored in a sea of black. This dramatic chiaroscuro creates a filmic effect, transforming what was intended to be an accessory building into the main attraction. By imbuing these sheds with the gravitas of a starring role, we are given permission to study their idiosyncrasies and delight in their nuances as if they were portraits of members of a quirky extended family. Functionality and personality are juxtaposed, creating a provocative contrast that expands the experience of these structures beyond the mundanity of their workaday origins.