Elegy

Elegy is a presentation of remembrance, reflection and reconstruction of urban life. The perspective is an up close and personal glimpse at what was the human trappings left behind rather than a look at monumental constructions of scenes. The soft and isolated images capture the romance of times past rather than the reality of contemporary life. The images are drawn from remote and unrecognizable locations in Asia and North America rather than discernable places of note. The individual images come together in a chorus of appearance and affect. The scenes are muted; the light, soft and embracing, the tone somber and serene. The serenity derives from the intimacy of isolation. The viewer is encouraged to linger, reflect and harken back to a past left behind. For some, the reflection brings only sorrow; for others, boundless hope. The photographs were selected from shoots over a fifteen-year period in four countries. Several were shot in Beijing during a time of transition. “In case of emergency” isolates a simple rope in a zoo cate house designated for emergencies. From Cochin India, Hung Up features a workman’s shirt against a concrete wall in a pre-industrial factory where laborers make floor mats for export. From California, Easterday captures a hidden wall in Palo Alto re-exposed when nearby buildings were demolished. 0000 and Jay are scenes from the abandoned Alameda WWII era shipyard soon to be demolished. Elegy is printed on Japanese Kozo paper and hand-coated in wax. The prints are protected by frameless plexiglas, avoiding a visual frame and exposing the translucency and texture of Kozo.