Statement - Merged Landscapes: New Lands
Confinement during the pandemic led me to rediscover a collection of antique stereoscope cards that had belonged to my great-grandfather. I had always been fascinated by them. Long and horizontal in format, two images appear side by side, merged in the center. Intended for a 3D viewer, these images often depicted exotic locations. The merged frames were captured from slightly different angles creating an unreal quality, suggesting an edit or glitch in time.
In my series, Merged Landscapes: New Lands, I combine two landscapes into a single merged image. The landscapes are distant from one another on the globe, and separated by time. Much like our memories and perceptions may be dismantled and reconstructed over time, I have reassembled my images as manufactured nostalgia of an idealized past. Pairs may share some commonality, perhaps in form, topography or mood. Some may be analogs to one another, merged back to back as if in mirror image. Placed together, they enter into a conversation. A visual dialogue between shapes and shadows that suggests a new and hybrid land, an alternate history to be discovered.