Soliloquy

When I lived in Georgia a few years ago, I frequently drove around the state by myself, seeking out encounters and subsequently, making photographs. These experiences culminated in the series I am submitting, which is entitled ‘Soliloquy.’

My work is driven by a desire to create fictional narratives grounded in documentary origins. In recent years, I produced Soliloquy, a project set in the imagined town of Tarwater and inspired by the area of Southwest Georgia where my maternal family has deep roots. The story centers on a failed 1970s Christian commune led by a man who claimed to speak with the spirit of Mary Magdalene. After a decade of attempting to create a utopian society, the commune collapsed in 1981 following the murders of three young women. Told from the perspective of an unnamed narrator in 1993, the project delves into the unsolved crimes and their possible ties to the commune. Soliloquy includes a written component featuring short stories and transcribed conversations which reinforce the atmosphere established in the images and photo-collages. Themes of religion, womanhood, and Southern regionalism are interwoven throughout.