
"This group of photographs is part of an ongoing project exploring the physical geography and mythical history of the lower Hudson River Valley of New York. My approach to photography has always walked a line between reality and fiction, using the raw material of what I find and scenarios I orchestrate to create a nebulous visual world. This area is teeming with history—from the fiction of Washington Irving and John Cheever to the real life horror of the Son of Sam murders, to more contemporary incidents like the train derailment at Spuyten Duyvil ("Spouting Devil") and a macabre scene this April in which the cadavers of 25 cats were found in plastic bags hanging in a park in Yonkers. For me, these incidents and the landscape are all strongly connected. I am in the process of creating a body of work dealing with the way photography can utilize the history and fiction of a particular landscape to reveal connections between past and present."
"All of the aforementioned incidents are not just connected by this particular area, but by another issue I have been exploring in my work for several years now. Most of my photographic output up to this point has dealt with my own issues pertaining to other men and masculinity—namely my sense of dislocation stemming from my discomfort with the rampant machismo that both the real and art-historical worlds are dominated by. I see this project as continuing that train of thought in a more severe and direct, yet abstract manner. These violent and traumatic acts are all committed or narrated by men. The strong connection between men and violence is complicated, but undeniable. I am deeply committed to this project and envision myself working on it for years to come."
















