I photograph and depict landscape as a method to describe cultural identity and social reflection. It is often easy to categorize “place” without giving thought to the depth of the culture that has created it. My imagery strives to call that automatic categorization into question, to require a second or third look at something that on the surface may not appear meaningful, but upon reflection, has intrinsic meaning and poetic value.

My imagery grapples with my visual understanding of an unfamiliar Italian landscape. The work is indelibly infused with the charged political and social history of Italy, but offers the possibility of a new interpretation through the eyes of a foreigner. I am an outsider, and I approach the recording and translation of these storied spaces through an outsider's eyes. In my ongoing project I am startled by the amount of unnoticed beauty and silence that exist in the ruins of Italy’s landscapes, which seem to be in direct contrast to the number of people engaged with these spaces.

The evolution of this project is a slow one, not unlike the evolution of the landscape itself: developing over many years, and requiring patient and dedicated effort. I have returned to Italy three times since I began this project with a Fulbright Fellowship, most recently in 2010 with the help of a Minnesota State Arts Board grant.