EVERYDAY GOTHIC
This series, done between 1993 and 2001, grew out of a fascination I have with rodeos,
festivals, and fairs (to name a few favorites). I go anywhere crowds of
people gather in the name of a common interest (gourds, Buford Pusser,
professional wrestlers, the Blessed Virgin Mary. . .). I am interested
in recording people at the events more than the events themselves.
The celebration of a special occasion elevates people out of their
everyday ruts to endow them with a heightened sense of importance/awareness/reality.
This is the energy I try to capture on film.
Most of the images were made using a "point and shoot" camera. It is a small device,
and does not look threatening, or, more importantly, serious,
making it easier to blend in with the crowd. I almost always enjoyed attending the event.
It is reassuring to me, in these days of high crime and drive-by shootings,
that there still exist small town festivals (many held in big cities),
pancake breakfasts, miracles, mysteries, and other signs of what we have
come to believe
live only in a by-gone era.
The photographs are seen in blocks, usually of 9 (3 rows of 3 prints each).
Each image bleeds into a plain black frame to give the overall impression
of a mosaic. An image is both a discrete individual unit and part of
the greater whole.
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