EMERGENCE
A fundamental feature of complex systems is the phenomenon of Emergence in which an unexpected wholeness arises from multiple interactions of smaller, elemental units. That concept is manifested metaphorically in this decade-long project shooting at recreational sites that are totally or mostly deserted. Initially focusing on the physical structures of the attractions and the possibilities they offered to expand on the geometric underpinnings in the Elements series, I was soon drawn to the kitschy, artificial landscapes and the surreal aura that emerged when the crowds were gone. Gradually over time I included more physical space in my viewfinder, so the structure of the photographs became progressively more complex. Eventually I found myself orchestrating a plethora of elements to a point where the visual density of the images nearly overload the frame and the compositions hold together only tenuously. Rhythm, pattern, repeating visual motifs, and mapping three-dimensional physical space onto the two-dimensional picture plane play important roles in this body of work.
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