| This series of photographs is about the Santa Monica Pier, one of the last remaining pleasure piers along the California coast. Initially, I was attracted to its historical presence; the furthest reach of the urge to go west. While searching for the essence of the place, I quickly began to love its social aspects, and incorporated people into the scene. The focus is not on the pier as a historical artifact, but about it as a gathering place for many different people. It is a place that can look festive, but also seems sad at the same time. People go there to have fun, yet sometimes look so lonely even among others. Previously, I have photographed the urban landscape and always made the point of physically excluding people, but not their presence upon the environment. In this series, I have concentrated my focus on people, and all the contradictions that can arise when so many are gathered together in one place. My goal is to see people in the context of the larger social landscape, not necessarily as individual portraits. |
