peachtree dance

In peachtree dance, an ongoing series of photographs, I investigate the implications and contradictions that exist in public acts of religious cleansing, and the relationship between nature and human intervention. These images depict ceremonial cleansing rituals that take place in seemingly pristine spaces. Ironically, the waterways and surrounding areas are heavily polluted. This series also questions the paradox of cleansing, namely, who gets the opportunities for renewal and rebirth? Who gets a do-over on life? Baptism of Theresa, takes place in the Hudson River, outside of Albany, New York, an area cloaked in industry malfeasance and contamination.

Beyond the religious exploitation of the natural landscape, humanity subverts nature to further its own capitalist gains. When humans intervene in nature, the results tend to be oxymoronic. For example, in Butterflies (Ontario Conservatory), a butterflies' artificial habitat is disturbed in order to place a “do not disturb” sign next to its food. The juxtaposition of a concrete jungle with coins lining the bottom of its well in Niagara Falls Wishing Well, presents a poetic irony of the beauty and power in nature alongside human presence. In Southern Most Point of Ontario, a once one-kilometer-long peninsula has dwindled down to 200 meters, where much of the area, approximately 97% of it, has been altered and mostly converted for agriculture, industry, or urban development. Nature is surrounded by hyper-capitalism, hyper-tourism, and consumerism. I capture the irony and opposing tensions of these subtle moments that have been embedded into our societal infrastructure and day-to-day discourse.