REFUGE IN THE REFUSE
About the series:
Refuge in the Refuse is a series inspired by my accidental discovery an abandoned church located in the crowded urban landscape of metropolitan Atlanta. The empty building, although long ago left to decay, nonetheless conveys a profoundly moving sense of peace, stillness, and the sacred—even buried behind barbed wire-covered gates and garbage strewn sidewalks. I’ve never been one to turn down an adventure, particularly a compelling photograph is at stake, so I climbed through gates, wire, and warning signs to fully experience the contradictions of this transcendent, beautiful space in all its chaos. From every angle, the cathedral’s windows offer striking views, making a “bad” photograph virtually impossible—each ray of light, each slight shadow, alters the topography and remakes the sacred space anew: an eternally transforming home of spirit. Refuge in the Refuse is a series that takes its name from illuminating contrast between what we ordinarily consider “holy,” and what is readily dismissed as detritus—stated differently, the sacred and the profane: colliding in a singular experience in which one realizes how profoundly these two states cannot exist without one another.
Refuge in the Refuse #1
7" x 4" x .25" | photography, acrylic, metal, beam clamps, plexiglass, resin | 2018
Refuge in the Refuse #1 depicts the hidden beauty of this sacred space in its strikingly vivid environment at the height of the afternoon—shining with a deep blue as all-encompassing and soothing as the sea itself. Refuge in the Refuse invites viewers to let go and allow the soul to fully experience the desperately needed sense of release after incarceration of spirit.
Refuge in the Refuse #2
7" x 4" x .25" | photography, acrylic, metal, beam clamps, plexiglass, resin | 2018
Refuge in the Refuse #2 depicts the hidden beauty of this sacred space in the haunting, mirage-like haze of a dusk settling in — the sky lit up with a warm, golden hue imbued with an otherworldly sense of peace that enables centeredness within the city’s chaos.
Refuge in the Refuse #3
7" x 4" x .25" | mirrors, photography, acrylic, metal, beam clamps, plexiglass, resin | 2018
Refuge in the Refuse #3 depicts the hidden beauty of this sacred space at the height of morning's bring, nearly blinding light - ensuring the viewer's eye has no escape from the sun's glittering impact that transforms a church amidst trash into an architectural jewel.
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