In my Future Ruins series I wanted to take what I have learned from the history of photography and apply it to the world that I inhabit.
As I look out on the world there are many instances in which something calls me. Whether it is a place in which I am allowed to venture into, or a place in which I would be trespassing. Something always calls me to step out of the path I have set myself on to explore a place that seems hidden. For myself this can take the form of a forest, an industrial site, or a place that has been barred from public entry. What captures me when looking out onto the world is the interrelationship of nature.
Early photography has this allure. A place that’s forgotten, abandoned, overlooked, or barely noticed. This series is inspired by an image that I saw years ago while visiting Chichen Itza. In the photograph the ruins of the pyramid have been overgrown by plants.
While keeping this image in mind I started to daydream about what the landscape of where I live would look like if it were merely abandoned. While working with multiple exposures I wanted to create a dream-like effect of a world that does not exist. Of course, if this were to happen it would be hard for myself to imagine, just as I imagine the pre-Colombian Maya would have found it unbelievable that their places of worship would be one day reclaimed by nature.
This series was started during my first semester of Advanced Projects during my final year of my undergraduate. They are fibre prints that have been tinted with selenium. All manipulation have been done by hand in a wet darkroom.
