Introduction
My project ‘National Trust’ started in the darkness of the Lincoln Memorial. On that overcast January day the space was mostly in shadow but there was still enough light streaming through the entrance to illuminate the giant statue of Lincoln and visitors who stood in front of him in marble form, posing for pictures. That place had an undeniable aura for me, and I felt deep respect for the space and the man himself. But Lincoln’s statue dwarfs the people who come there and his words, chiseled in stone, tower above visitors, so there’s a psychologically-charged drama about power that’s played out between the space itself and the individuals who come there. The memorial is fascinating precisely because it is such a complicated place, and it sets the stage for what ‘National Trust’ is mostly about - the ongoing trust that we place in institutions to represent the United States, and to represent us.
Memorials. Media. Monuments. Men in suits. I’m flexible with my subject matter and with the ways that I make pictures. What ties these subjects together is that they communicate messages to us about the state of our union, past and present. They influence how we think about this country and its history. They ask for our trust.
They do it with carefully crafted surface appearances. Architectural forms recall the grandeur of Greco-Roman temples. Political rallies exist as meticulously staged theatre sets. In a basic way my pictures, like any photograph, describe surfaces, but they also call attention to the important and enduring role that surface appearances play in the telling and retelling of history. Above all else, my work comes from concern about this country as we continue to wrestle with the difficulties of representing this deeply complex nation.