These site responsive works question aspects of place in a temporal and physical manor. The plants used are collected from short walks surrounding the location where the photograms are made. The resulting photographs are created by coating fabric with a light sensitive solution then placing the sampled specimens on the surface. The whole mess is then exposed to sun light and developed in water. I am caught by the sense of chance and discovery that these photographic engagements produce. Each experiment is a kind of trap – a situation where the natural world is captured – plants, sun, wind, moisture all leave marks on the print as the exposure is made. My interest in these pieces centers on the surreal way we view and engage with the natural world – how versions of fact and fantasy are slipping together. As our surroundings shift these large-scale photograms poke and question at how we view and engage with the environment. The photographic traps allow chance and the natural world to assert themselves in a visual way within the print.
Cole Caswell 