Fragments

May 20, 2020

Collaborator Michael Zhang and I were scheduled to show our work Fragments at the Ruby at Duke University on March as soon as everything shut down due to the Coronavirus. Because of the abrupt nature of the situation, the work hasn’t quite been completed yet (it’s mostly complete, it just needed a few minor adjustments) and was unfortunately not displayed.

Fragments is a combination of photography/generative media work. Buildings started to fall and rise at a pace that left me unable to grasp a concrete sense of place in my new hometown of Durham, NC. Using Atget as a springboard – his sense of placemaking through walking in a rapidly changing 19th century Paris – I collected images as I explored walking routes where demolitions and active construction sites were situated. With a growing archive of images that correspond to specific walks, Michael and I then came up with a set of rules to subject the images to. In essence, each image becomes intermixed with other photographs made during the same day before fading into a different day in the same city. The continuous slippage, the avoidance of the fixed image is a nod to the idea that the idea of Durham as a place – as I experience it.

The Living Dune Feb 21-March 22

February 21, 2020

My friend and collaborator Ben Alper and I have a pop-up show up at 140 W Franklin St. Suite 160 in downtown Chapel Hill, NC from Feb 21 through March 22.

Jockey’s Ridge in Nag’s Head has changed in shape over thousands of years and continues to move incrementally southward to this day, threatening nearby homes and roads. There have been large scale and costly attempts to stem this natural process, which highlights the often fraught relationship between human behavior and the “natural” environment.

In photographing Jockey’s Ridge, Ben Alper and Peter Hoffman sought to heighten the camera’s predisposition toward distortion, as a means of addressing the kind of intervention present (albeit invisibly) at the site. Whether that manifests through artificial or colored light, spatial confusion, performative gestures or the literal or metaphorical depiction of others, the resulting images foreground photographic decisions that ultimately implicate a human presence in this fragile landscape.

Their photographs will be displayed at 140 W. Franklin Street, Suite 160 from February 21 – March 22nd.

Exhibit Hours

Thursdays and Fridays from 4-7 pm

Saturdays and Sundays from 12-6 pm

The 140 W. Franklin Street space is powered by Arts Everywhere, Chapel Hill Community Arts and Culture, and Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership.

https://www.unc.edu/event/the-living-dune/2020-02-21/

Glass Corner Features

January 7, 2020

Hi, happy 2020! Recently some nice websites (below) have been showing excerpts from my Glass Corner Artist’s Book. The book itself is here. More pictures here.

Glass Corner on BOOOOOOOM
Glass Corner on Collater.al

Sleeper.Studio/Silver Eye Book Fair

October 7, 2019

I am starting a new studio practice with two long time friends and photographers that I greatly respect. Sleeper.studio is a publishing project working with photography, design, and text to realize artists’ ideas in printed form.  Our interests lie in cultivating a fluid studio practice that values open, collaborative and equitable relationships with artists.

Sleeper is Ben Alper, Peter Hoffman and Ross Mantle. It currently operates out of Durham, NC and Pittsburgh, PA.

We had a (very) soft launch over the weekend at Silver Eye Book Fair in Pittsburgh where the three of us sold work that we had all previously done and previewed some of our upcoming projects.

Please head over to the new website and sign up for the mailing list if you’re curious about what’s in the pipeline. This new collaborative venture will supplant my own personal photo book practice for the foreseeable future. Though our focus is mostly on the work of other artists, the three of us continue to make our own pictures and will likely publish some of our own work through from time to time.

Photo-Emphasis, Recent Group Shows

September 17, 2019

Thanks to the people over at Photo-Emphasis for talking to me about some of my recent work. See here for the interview and images.

I also recently returned from the aforementioned Useful Fictions symposium near Paris. See this post in research for a bit more information. This resulted in being part of a small group show at Galerie HUS in Montmartre.

Additionally, I recently had a piece at Sky High Skies curated by Anthony Hamilton at Transpace Gallery in Bloomington, IL.

Useful Fictions Symposium

July 12, 2019

I’m excited to have received a graduate fellowship for the upcoming Useful Fictions Symposium this Sept. 9-13 at École Polytechnique, Paris in conjunction with UC Davis.

Site Update

July 10, 2019

Hi. I’ve done a very big site update – first one in about three years. Lots of new work and revamped older work, with a little bit of a revamp in the organizational structure.

This site functions more like a curated archive as opposed to a portfolio. There are lots of galleries within galleries. Sometimes you can click on things and go deeper, sometimes you can’t. The front page is full of random layouts and a few trap doors to particular bodies of work. It will change on occasion (past front pages archived in Projects).

Humble Arts: Group Show 61

June 25, 2019

An image from my sporadic documenting of friends and family in the Midwest is featured in Humble Arts Group Show 61: Loss.

Sacred Wasteland

April 18, 2019

The second part of the UNC MFA Thesis work opens at the Ackland Art Museum in Chapel Hill from April 19-May 26. I will be showing 3 large scale digital compositions from Climate Anxiety. The show was curated by William Paul Thomas, a UNC alum. For more information on this work see Climate Anxiety under Projects.

Under the Rug

March 20, 2019

From March 23 – April 6 the graduating class in the MFA program at UNC-Chapel Hill will host their group thesis exhibition Under the Rug at the Fruit in Durham. My thesis work consists of 2 separate but related bodies. I will be showing work from one of these bodies Fake Lakes and Other Curious Sites.
More info here.
Write up in the Indy here.

Glass Corner Shipping

February 1, 2019

After a long wait, my 2nd artist’s book Glass Corner is in hand and will be shipping this week. I started this project back in 2014 and it has gone through many iterations to get to this point. Many, many thanks to my dear friend and amazing designer Elana Schlenker for seeing this through with me, and thanks to the folks at Conveyor Editions for the same thing. Finally, to those who helped fund this small project with pre-orders, thank you for your patience. I hope you find it worth the wait. For more info see the Print section of my site.

Anti-Nostalgia @The Carrack in Durham

October 1, 2018

I’m happy to be included in the group show Anti-Nostalgia at the Carrack in Durham, curated by Olivia Huntley and elin O’hara slavick. Since I don’t generally work with found photographs I decided to produce a new piece to fit the theme of the show. The show runs from Oct 4-Oct 21.

File Under: Landscape

June 29, 2018

Having a quick show including new, experimental works on the UNC Campus with my classmate and fellow artist Mike Keaveney. On view from June 27 – July 6 at UNC’s Jane and June Alcott Gallery.

Glass Corner in Lenscratch

December 30, 2017

Thanks to Daniel McCullough. See piece here.

Untitled: Works from the Loop (2013-2017) + More

October 9, 2017

• On Oct. 20 my show Untitled: Loop 2013-2017 will be up at Spectre Arts in Durham as part of the Click! Photo Festival. Info here.
• My new book Glass Corner is available for pre-order now on this site. Info here. 
• My profile on cartoonist Dwane Powell was recently published in Walter Magazine.
• I also recently photographed a cover story for Walter, following beekeeper Alice Hinman as she went around downtown. She’s extremely comfortable (and quick) on tall ladders, something I had to quickly adapt to despite carrying heavy camera bags. It was a fun time, she was great to work with, no one got stung.
• It’s a little bittersweet, but I’ve decided to take some time off from commissioned work until I graduate in 2019, in order to full focus on my art (as well as my teaching practice) for the duration of the program.

@Lump – Raleigh

July 5, 2017

A piece of mine is on view at LUMP, Raleigh NC • July 7-29, 2017 in Digiscapes (Curated by Anthony Hamilton)

MFA, Upcoming Show, and Commission Updates

May 8, 2017

• I have accepted a spot in the MFA program at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and begin coursework in August. I will continue taking commissioned work on a limited basis.
• Works from the Loop – my first solo show in Durham will be on display at Spectre Arts, opening on Fri, Oct 20 to coincide with Click Photo Festival in the Triangle region.
• New commissioned work is now online, featuring work for Curbed, Herman Miller and Walter.
• I continue traveling to Chicago for commissions, most recently for Winkreative and Time Inc.

Scholten + Baijings

March 28, 2017

Recently I made a few pictures of Amsterdam based Scholten + Baijings furniture designers as they stopped through NC to oversee production for some of their collaborative pieces with Herman Miller. See here.

Herman Miller, Curbed, etc.

February 8, 2017

• I visited a wind whipped Grand Haven, Michigan in the middle of December to photograph noted furniture designer Jack Kelley for Herman Miller. Herman Miller archivist Amy Auscherman (with my favorite Instagram handle) provided wonderful cookies and direction and Jack provided details about his passion for sailing the lakes, and working in the industry while the computer was transforming the workplace.
• Recent work in a colorful home in Fayetteville, NC for Curbed.
• I photographed Raleigh, NC metalworker Ben Galata for Walter – the magazine for the Raleigh News & Observer.

VSCO, Runner’s World, etc.

December 9, 2016

• My project Fox River Derivatives is featured on VSCO
• I photographed South Carolina runner Elizabeth Gray for Runner’s World as part of their yearly cover contest. She is running a marathon in all 50 states.
• From Dec. 12 through the new year I will be in Ohio, Michigan and Chicago for client work and personal work. Drop a line if you need something around the Great Lakes.

A Great Sum in Parts

November 1, 2016

Ross Mantle and I have been active over on A New Nothing and were happy to be included in A Great Sum (in Parts) over at Osnova Gallery in Moscow. Yulia Spiridanova, the Moscow based curator of the show posted a little interview here (a few things get lost in translation).

NPR/Marshall Project

October 15, 2016

• Due to all the changes I’ve been a bit behind in tracking some of the work I’ve been upto. In the spring I had the opportunity to work for the second time with NPR and The Marshall Project on a follow up piece regarding the issues of solitary confinement. Stellar reporting on an important issue and I’m glad to have the opportunity to be a contributor. The most recent story – regarding the death of inmates in shared solitary cells (sounds paradoxical I know) can be seen at NPR and at The Marshall Project 
• The first part of the story, from 2015, dealt with transitioning back into society after spending time in solitary. Those pieces can be seen at NPR and The Marshall Project.

Recent Work

October 3, 2016

Recent stories with Curbed.com
1:)Behind the scenes look at furniture innovator Herman Miller in Grand Rapids, Michigan
2:)A home tour of Spoonflower President Allison Polish in Chapel Hill, NC

Mossless 4

September 15, 2016

I have work from Glass Corner and an interview in the new book Mossless 4: Public/Private/Portrait compiled by Romke Hoogwaerts

Now in NC

July 1, 2016

As of June my wife Liz and I have relocated from Chicago to Durham, NC and I am now working along the Eastern seaboard. I maintain connections and continue to take work in Chicago and the Great Lakes region under the right circumstances and intend to travel back consistently. For those curious, we moved because Liz landed a spot at Duke for her medical residency. For a few years we knew a big change may be coming and indeed it came to pass. Although it means some adjustments in my working life, it is a fantastic opportunity and we are thrilled. We will be here at least 5 years.

Old News

July 1, 2016

See archive here

My news posts are not comprehensive nor are they consistent (and they likely won’t be here either), but hey I try!