absence / occupied

Fullscreen "The exile and border dweller live in the space of both absence and presence...a third space or perspective” -Marianna Ortega The passage of 2012’s early days and weeks saw the clearing of the last American Occupy encampments. With the end of these occupations came the loss of their most basic, and perhaps, most profound element; the physical visualization of inequality. How then, as nature, weather, and re-landscaping threaten to white wash any evidence of occupation, will this movement be remembered? This series of photographs is an attempt to capture both the historic and ephemeral elements of the “occupy” movement. The images provide a documentation of the physical imprint created by the tents used during the occupation of public parks in Washington, DC. Within the images, the act of occupation and those who participated are both present and absent. The blades of grass, flattened ground, and lines of leaves are, and are not, representative of those individuals. They are evidence of their history and reflections of their commitment, but they are also natural objects devoid of human existence. This struggle between absence and presence defines the space and is made more intense by the fragile and temporary nature of these ghost-like imprints. With one gust of wind or the placement of a piece of grass sod, the physical history, the silhouette of a movement, could cease to exist. In a culture filled with monuments, museums, and an abundance of historical plaques, these photos will act as proof of the movement’s physical and symbolic impact.