Why do archaeologists study artifacts? Why do anthropologists study human societies and cultures? Why are ordinary people constantly flocking to abandoned locations within their communities? There is something about these places that draws us in; a desire to know what was, why it was left, and what it tells us about ourselves.

In 2006, this documentary series began as an attempt to understand and preserve abandoned, decaying buildings and items. It began with intentions of shifting the viewer’s focus to these discarded and crumbling details, showing forms of beauty that may otherwise go unnoticed. At the time, social media was not constantly disclosing these varying locations; few people would physically enter these spaces or see for themselves what has been left behind: the single desk in an empty classroom, the basketball sitting alone on a ravaged court, the charred hymnal in the ruins of a burnt-out church.

Since 2010 image focused social media platforms saturate our views with these locations, altering a sense of reverence with a desire for destruction. Now, this series is meant to preserve what remains and leave it as it was found. In an attempt to continue bringing these objects back into view, to be remembered in a new way, great care is taken during the documentation of these locations. It is not meant to disturb or alter their environment.

We all have our own perceptions and perspectives of these environments around us, formed over our lifetimes by events and experiences that inevitably influence how we perceive and evaluate them. The intention of this project is to reflect on how people perceive these spaces, and to offer diverse perspectives of the subjects that are documented.

I feel most alive when I have a camera in my hands. I feel like I truly see when I look through the viewfinder: the way I am able to see things through a lens, record them with the camera, and tell stories to audiences not present in the places or situations pictured. This process allows me to share my view of the world around me, while providing viewers the opportunity to form their own unique perspectives of the subjects with which I work.

It is my hope that these new perceptions will stir and evoke emotional responses while provoking more in-depth thought on the subject matter, inviting the viewers to engage both the art and each other.