Observatories

Observatories renders an expanded sense of time in depicting landscapes. It uses a slower rhythm to observe, reflect, and record images – one that is more on a geologic time scale. Observatories presents an alternative to a typical cursory, anthropocentric gaze and snapshot.

A driving force of the project is to record the natural world at a duration that is not geared to humans.  Though difficult or even impossible to achieve, an intent is to depict landscape where even the lifespan of a tree or the impact of humans is too short to be seen.  Those ephemeral events disappear into a blur. Images of both day and night are recorded equally to counter the bias of diurnal vision.  The desire is to observe the landscape as it exists over thousands of years. These long views complement the conventional practice of slicing time into smaller and smaller units to dissect an event. 

For the series Observatories, camera stations are constructed in specific locations with a targeted view. Over periods of months and years, the cameras record long exposures at different times of day or night and at different wavelengths of light.  Much as a painter might create an image over a period of days or weeks, these slow exposures are layered on top of each other and blended to give a sense of long durations.  The images derive as well from techniques in data visualization where different wavelengths are used to emphasize important visual elements. 

The Observatories series is ongoing. Many of the camera stations are still in use, and these images will change as more data and layers are added. The first series of Observatories was completed in 2018 at Windgrove, Tasmania, and featured recording and simulating long exposures of rugged coastal landscape and skies.  Preparation of a second series in the American Southwest had started, but it was curtailed by the pandemic.  A third series of Observatories is underway in western North Carolina.

In addition to layered prints as a finished work, many sequences from a camera station can be used as a time-lapse video.  This was explored in the 9 ½ minute looping video Dream Prayer Observatory where the images compliment a solo violin composition by Linda Dusman.