Traces Of Time, 2012

These photographs depict a variety of iconic cityscapes, rural landscapes and interiors in Italy and France.  They formally hover somewhere between past present and future, inviting the viewer to question the historical value of these places and how we as tourists experience them. Cities and landscapes are like living organisms, they continuously evolve, grow, die and mutate.  I’m interested in revealing the invisible features of these places that are hidden behind progress and 21st century conveniences.

While the title “Traces of Time” initially refers to temporality as understood in relation to mortality and finitude, it also suggests a reversal of that by re-reading or looking back at history and historical images. Often referencing historical vantage points found in period paintings, etchings and postcards, the images don’t look like the spaces depicted. From a slowly decaying Tuscan Villa and French pier, to an extravagantly renovated Venetian Palazzo, these images are intentionally nostalgic.

In the field, I would walk, drive and let happenstance find my way.  Often waiting for hours or even days for the proper skies to form, a crane to swing out of the way or the city to rest, I’d find inspiration in the simplest of places. Certain colours have been drained of life while others are used to prop them up – referencing the fall and winter months in which I made this work.  But above all, these images are about the anticipation and wonder you get when traveling to a place for the first time.