Where The West Ends

“Where the West Ends” investigates the symbolic and material edges of America through Forks, Washington, once the self-proclaimed “Logging Capital of the World,” now reshaped by conservation, automation, and globalization.

“Where the West Ends” is a long-term documentary project that investigates the symbolic and material edges of America through the town of Forks, in the western most part of America. Once the self-proclaimed "Logging Capital of the World," Forks has faced a crumbling timber industry due to environmental conservation efforts, enhanced automation, and globalization.

This series examines the struggles and triumphs of a small town that grapples with an ever changing reality. It captures the juxtaposition of decay and renewal, of tradition and innovation. Portraits of residents reveal the weathered faces of those who've witnessed their world transform, yet remain determined to forge their way forward.

The town’s resilience is rooted in its history as a frontiers town, where its identity was shaped at the edge of Westward expansion. While the physical frontier has vanished, the frontier continues to survive as a mental, cultural, and political fortitude. This project addresses how the frontier spirit is central to the American cultural fabric: ingenuity as a form of survival, the inextricable relationship with nature, the extraction of resources, rugged individualism, and the enduring legacy of Manifest Destiny.