After a childhood dedicated to training in dance, I discovered a choreographic voice through photography. When I was no longer an object of observation and became an audience member through the camera, I was able to explore unlikely spaces of performance in the world. I am particularly drawn to spaces and people that are naturally theatrical. The rectangular frame helps me find my stage, and then respond to activated pedestrian spaces that encourage the performer in us all.
I have been photographing at the Pantheon in Rome, Italy, on and around the Summer Solstice for eleven consecutive years. This iconic site provides a unique platform for self-presentation, with a dramatic spotlight effect during the summer solstice. Year after year, over many hours and days, I watch the circle of light glide across the interior of the space at a glacial pace, serving as a sundial and spotlight. I surreptitiously document individuals and groups intuitively performing in the searing aperture of light, revealing their inner desires, aspirations, and our society's penchant for imagistic self-portraits. An ancient monument almost completely intact, the Pantheon’s design consists of circles and squares; circles representing the infinite, perfect god, and squares representing the mortal, flawed human. Over the years, I have let the visual tapestry of the Eternal City wash over me before and after photographing at the Pantheon. A tangential body of work has materialized, allowing me to revisit my first foray into photography: traditional black and white analogue images. I began this process by opening my own aperture for over a minute and used my hand to cover and uncover it. The resulting work is a series of multiple exposures made in camera, then printed in a traditional wet darkroom. The works presented are almost completely produced in June of 2024.
