Landscape of Memory and Forgetting
The intimate association between photography and death is inherent. Much has been written on the subject. I’ve read some. I get the idea: my photographs will most likely outlive me. Since 1964 I’ve employed photography's magical ability to freeze time and mirror reality in contemplation of life and meaning. Since arriving on my seventieth birthday, the imminence of death has become a preoccupation. Not death in the macabre sense, but death as a reminder to live. I have vivid impressions of what my younger self looked like because my parents memorialized significant milestones with photographs. When I began making my own pictures the tempo of documentation increased. Consequently, I have a relatively comprehensive visual record of my journey through time and space since 1953. Appreciating that I have no control regarding where and how my journey will end, this portfolio presents idealized scenarios. Ironically, staging death suggests maintaining control - an illusion, of course.
