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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